In celebration of Disability Pride Month this July, we took some time to think about the musical contributions of three ...

In celebration of Disability Pride Month this July, we took some time to think about the musical contributions of three disabled North Carolinian guitarists: Reverend Gary Davis, Blind Boy Fuller, and Doc Watson. All three men were blind, and all three helped usher in radically new styles into the lexicon of popular music: Davis and Fuller played with syncopation and ragtime song form to create the Piedmont blues, and Watson developed a style of flatpicking which affected nearly every acoustic player following in his wake. On the Arts Across NC blog, we examine the complex interplay of disability and stylistic searching which produced the music of these three acoustic guitar giants. Neither a product of a “magic” disability, or an achievement “despite” the artists’ blindness, all three produced new artistic forms within the economic and cultural conditions set by their disability. 🔗 Link in bio. #DisabilityPrideMonth @nc.dncr