Nine Pound Hammer - Mark O'Connor, Jerry Douglas, Tony Rice, John Cowan, Sam Bush, Bela Fleck MerleFest 1988. The first one. "Merle Watson had just died, and there was an effort by all of us to put on a little music festival for Doc Watson our hero and to be there during the time just after his son's death, our good friend Merle. Merle was a close friend to me and we traveled together in the states and in Europe with his Dad and T. Michael Coleman. I was devastated over his tragic death that too