Folk musician Doc Watson responsive after surgery in NC - USA TODAY

WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina (AP) â€" Grammy-winning folk musician Doc Watson has regained some strength after undergoing colon surgery at a North Carolina hospital.

AP file

Music legend Doc Watson performs at the annual Merlefest in Wilkesboro, N.C., in 2001.

Agent Mitch Greenhill of Folklore Productions said in an e-mail Friday that Watson is resting and responsive following the surgery Thursday at Baptist Hospital in Winston-Salem. A hospital spokeswoman said he remained in critical condition Friday afternoon.

Watson's daughter, Nancy, told the Associated Press that the 89-year-old Watson fell Monday.

The blind singer and guitarist has won several Grammys, including a lifetime achievement award. He also received the National Medal of the Arts.

He's known as a master of the flatpicking style of guitar playing, He also started Merlefest, an annual gathering of musicians in Wilkesboro named after his son, who died in a tractor accident in 1985.

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