Blue Ridge Hall Of Fame & Wayne C. Henderson

Old Wilkes, Inc. and The Blue Ridge Music Hall of Fame (BRMHoF) committee announced earlier this year that Wayne Henderson will beone of the charter inductees to be honored at the first annual Blue Ridge Music Hall of Fame induction ceremony to be held at the WalkerCenter on the campus of Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro on Friday, June 13, 2008. The Blue Ridge Music Hall of Fame wascreated in 2006 to recognize and honor musicians and others who have contributed to the special heritage of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Born in Rugby, VA in the White Top Mountain area of Grayson County near the border of North Carolina, Wayne Henderson has becomeone of the finest luthiers in the country. Coming from a family of craftsmen and musicians, he has remained in the Blue Ridge Mountainshoning his craft. Henderson's father and uncle were musicians who played with the string band of Estil Ball and were recorded by John andAlan Lomax, folklorists. Admiring his uncle's steel-string Martin guitar, he ordered a guitar from the Sears catalog and with hisdisappointment, Henderson's career as a luthier began.

Using a dresser-drawer bottom and some "sticky stuff" used to glue weather stripping to a car door, he almost completed his first guitarwhen a hot day appeared. It was left in a confined area and when he returned to complete his work, Henderson found as he described itthat "it had blossomed like a morning glory." He used a cigar box, carved a wooden 2 x 4 for the neck and used fishing line as strings.Finally he made his first complete guitar using a mahogany door. He sold it for some tools and cash ... and the rest is history ... look for afollow up story coming in an up-coming issue of Americana Rhythm Music Magaizne.