Appalachian finger-picked guitar
Rugby, Virginia
Photo courtesy of Remsberg Inc.
Wayne Henderson is the Appalachian guitarist the Nashville pickers talk about, the one who lives in a very remote area of the Blue Ridge and makes those acoustic guitars with the amazing tone, the ones that are so hard to get. Using a thumbpick and fingerpicks, his playing sounds like flatpicking, with amazing speed and fluidity, transforming fiddle and banjo pieces and even the occasional jazz standard into stunning guitar solos.
Henderson was born, raised and still lives in tiny Rugby, Virginia—population seven—in Grayson County, Virginia, near the North Carolina border. His father and uncle were musicians who for a time played in the string band of Estil Ball, a renowned fingerstyle guitarist in the area. Inspired by Ball, Wayne ordered a cheap guitar from the Sears catalog. The mail-order guitar proved a sad disappointment, which helped launch him on his career as a guitar maker.
Wayne built his first guitar using traced patterns and the wood from the bottom of a dresser drawer. He sought out neighbor Albert Hash, one of the region’s most renowned instrument makers. With encouragement and mentorship provided by Hash, Wayne’s passion for the craft grew. He sold his second guitar for tools and cash. “Ever since,” he says, “somebody has wanted one as soon as I get one finished.” For years, he worked as a rural mail carrier, performing and building guitars and other instruments when he was not working. More than 650 guitars later, Henderson is considered one of the most exceptional instrument makers in the world. Most luthiers with national reputations give instruments to famous players in return for endorsements, but Wayne never has. Eric Clapton waited seven years for a Henderson guitar because, as Wayne reasoned, “Well, he’s already got plenty of nice ones to play.”
Henderson’s shop is and has always been more than a place of work and business. It’s a place where renowned musicians frequently stop by to pick a few tunes, and where the community comes together to share knowledge, music, and most importantly, time. He has hosted the annual Wayne C. Henderson Music Festival and Guitar Competition since 1995. The event raises money for his scholarship fund, with all proceeds going to local aspiring musicians. This year marked the festival’s final year after a nearly three-decade run.
An accomplished picker and player, Henderson has won more than 300 ribbons at fiddlers’ convention competitions. He was featured as part of the NCTA’s Master of the Steel String Guitar tours, and has traveled worldwide. In 1995 he received the National Endowment for the Arts’ National Heritage Fellowship, the nation’s highest honor for folk and traditional arts.
A returning favorite for the 20th anniversary for the Richmond Folk Festival, Wayne will be joined by Randy Greer on mandolin, Josh Scott on bass, and Herb Key on rhythm guitar.
Wayne Henderson & Friend’s performances at the Richmond Folk Festival are made possible in part with support from The Crooked Road: Virginia’s Heritage Music Trail.