Jun 9
Virginia tabs Wayne Henderson as a tour attraction
WIN a Wayne Henderson Guitar OR a Trip for Two to Virginia!
- Grand Prize: a Wayne Henderson Crooked Road Series guitar, handcrafted by the master luthier himself!
- Second Prize: A Crooked Road Series guitar created by Anderson-Strickland!
- 4 First Prizes: lodging, airfare, event tickets, a rental car and more for a Virginia Vacation Package!
To Enter just visit the Front Row Fanatic Sweepstakes page on Virginia.org and fill out the form.
The Kruger Brothers will play the Wayne Henderson Music Festival & Guitar Competion on Jun 21 near Mouth of Wilson, VA.
Looking for acoustic guitar king Wayne Henderson?
He can be found on “Virginia’s Crooked Road,” a tourism theme the state is promoting. In doing so, it’s also promoting Henderson, the top-notch acoustic guitars he makes (see the sidebar for a chance to win a Henderson Guitar) and his annual music festival, which will be held later this month.
Little wonder why Virginia is showcasing Henderson. He grew up in the mountains of southwest Virginia, where the sounds of traditional country music are a way of life, and a personal passion for him. His ability to transform wood into masterful acoustic guitars caught the eyes and ears of Eric Clapton. Ten years later, between jam sessions, concert dates at Carnegie Hall and delivering mail, Henderson finally finished building Clapton’s guitar - and the legend was born.
Henderson, now a master luthier, has given up life as a mail man and puts all his energy into crafting guitars, according to Virginia’s tourism bureau. Although the waiting list for “a Henderson” is measured in years, he is as humble and grounded as ever. His passion doesn’t end with building guitars.
He performs across the country and thrills serious bluegrass fans each June at the Wayne C. Henderson Music Festival at Grayson Highlands State Park.
All that fame has him listed in the Portraits of Passion on www.Virginia.org. Visitors to the Web site can watch Henderson build a guitar.
“My passion is certainly seeing a piece of wood come together and hear what I can hear come out of it,” explains Henderson. “When I play music, it’s like, I think, wonderful therapy. I can’t think of much of anything that makes you feel any better.”
Musical therapy like Henderson’s lives along The Crooked Road, Virginia’s Heritage Music Trail - one of the state’s cultural heritage destinations.
Henderson’s top-notch finger-picking is a source of great pleasure and pride to his friends, family, and neighbors in Grayson County, Va.; his guitar playing has also been enjoyed at Carnegie Hall, in three national tours of “Masters of the Steel-String Guitar,”and in seven nations in Asia.
In addition to his reputation as a guitarist,he is a recipient of a 1995 National Heritage Award presented by the National Endowment for the Arts. He produces about 20 instruments a year, mostly guitars.
He is almost as well known for the mandolins he has made. Doc Watson, a good friend who sometimes stops at Henderson’s shop in Rugby, Va., to pick a few tunes, owns a Henderson mandolin.
Some of Henderson’s instruments are intricately decorated but are most respected for their volume, tone and resonance. Blues guitarist John Cephas said Henderson “is probably the most masterful guitar maker in this whole United States.”
Above and beyond his great talents as a musician and luthier, Henderson is known as a “friend to everyone” and shares his talents and knowledge unselfishly.
The Wayne C. Henderson Music Festival and Guitar Competition was established in 1995 to express appreciation for this “living legend”. A portion of the proceeds from the Festival are placed into a scholarship fund to aid local young musicians in continuing their educations.
Sponsored by Wayne Henderson Music Festival, Inc. and the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, Division of State Parks, the festival will be held June 21 at Grayson Highlands State Park near Mouth of Wilson, Va. The guitar competition is woven through out the concert performers.
Winner of the competition wins a new guitar — and it’s a hand-built Henderson.
Considering the $10 admission, bluegrass fans might think they’re in for a bargain.
Here’s the lineup that 10-spot buys:
- 10:30-11:30 Guitar Competition
- 11:35-12:35 Todd Hallawell & Robin Kessinger
- 12:35-1:35 No Speed Limit
- 1:35-1:40 Announcement of Finalists
- 1:40 - 2:40 The Harris Brothers
- 2:40 - 3:40 George Hamilton IV
- 3:40 - 4:10 Guitar Finals
- 4:10 - 4:25 Scholarship Presentations
- 4:25 - 5:25 The New North Carolina Ramblers
- 5:25 - 5:45 Guitar Winners Presentation
- 5:45 - 6:45 The Kruger Brothers
- 6:45 - Wayne Henderson and Friends
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