Doc Watson, the blind guitarist whose speedy flatpicking made him immeasurably influential, died Tuesday in Winston-Salem, N.C. He was 89.

In addition to leaving an indelible mark on American folk and country music, Watson was beloved by area bluegrass fans. Over the years, he played countless concerts at Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts; one Post review described Watson’s audience at a 1977 Wolf Trap gig as “a massive crowd — thousands of good country people and one Iranian empress.”

Although Watson spent his career winning fans the world over, he was contemplating retirement nearly 25 years ago. You can read former Post pop music critic Richard Harrington’s 1988 profile of Watson below:

Master flatpicker Doc Watson performs with the Nashville Bluegrass Band last May during MerleFest in Wilkesboro, N.C. (Lauren Carroll / Winston Salem-Journal - via AP)

Twenty years elapsed between the second and third editions of the American Institute of Architecture’s guide to Washington, D.C., and more than a decade between the third and fourth. But only six years after author Martin Moeller published the last version in 2006, he is back with the latest, the fifth.

The Newseum, included in the AIA’s new guide. (James P. Blair - NEWSEUM) “The different time periods says a lot of about the city,” says Moeller, who wrote the book independently from his day job as senior vice president and curator of the National Building Museum. “Washington has changed tremendously in the last few years, it is really phenomenal.”

      During a dress rehearsal for her perfomance on NPR’s “From the Top,” the 10-year-old girl in the red sweater appears tiny at the grand piano. She pulls her hair back, gazes down, plants her small fingers. Out comes a sound so big, it leaves audiences enchanted.

Avery Gagliano, a 5th-grade student at John Eaton Elementary School in Northwest Washington, was selected to perform before a live audience on “From the Top,” NPR’s popular showcase that features the country’s best young classical musicians.

      
Ten-year-old pianist Avery Gagliano, a 5th-grade student at John Eaton Elementary School in Northwest Washington, performs during a dress rehearsal for her performance on “From the Top,” NPR’s popular showcase that features the country’s best young musicians. The show is scheduled to air at 6 p.m., Sunday, June 3, on Classical WETA 90.9 FM. (Photo courtesy of “From the Top") Avery’s performance, of “The Cat and the Mouse” by Aaron Copland, the same piece she played on her audition recording, is scheduled to air at 6 p.m., Sunday, June 3, on classical WETA, 90.9 F.M.

“The energy with which she attacked the piano was extraordinary,” says Tom Vignieri, music producer for “From the Top.”

“Out of this small person came a big sound, and you realize you are in the presence of the real thing.”    

          Avery, who studies with Marina Alekseyeva at the Levine School of Music, came to the attention of “From the Top,” when she won a $10,000 Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Award. The foundation partners with the radio show to aid exceptionally promising students ages 8 to 18.

      “The moment I heard her, I immediately booked her because she was extraordinary,” Vignieri said.

Many apologies to our readers (as well as publishers) for the tardy posting of these lists, rounding up top selling titles for the week past.

Oh, the #11 slot for nonfiction is occupied by Sarah Thomas’s strong selling “Jesus Calling” (poor Andy Cohen has slipped to #12), while over in fiction, that near-breakthrough spot is held by Stephen King’s “The Wind Through the Keyhole,” the Dark Tower novel knocked from the top 10 by fresh offerings from John Sandford and Steve Berry.

This image released by ABC shows host Robin Roberts, right, looking on as first lady Michelle Obama talks with students from PS 102 and 107 from the Brooklyn borough of New York, on "Good Morning America," Tuesday, May 29, 2012 in New York. Obama discussed a variety of topics including her new book "American Grown: The Story of the White House Kitchen Garden and Gardens Across America," which promotes healthy eating. (AP Photo/ABC, Ida Mae Astute) (Ida Mae Astute - AP)

- When a recent GQ profile of Justin Bieber told us it was time for the 18-year-old heartthrob to “man up,” this can’t be what they meant. A photographer is accusing the Biebs of attacking him at a California shopping mall after he tried to get a snapshot of the singer and his girlfriend Selena Gomez on Sunday. Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies are investigating the alleged fracas.

- Washingtonians will say their final farewells to Chuck Brown this week. The Godfather of go-go will be honored at an all-day public viewing at the Howard Theatre on Tuesday and a memorial service at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center on Thursday.