Wayne Henderson (Monthly Program)

Fingerpicking Guitar MasterONE OF THE BEST fingerpicking guitar players in the country is Virginia native Wayne Henderson. He comes from Grayson County, Virginia, an area of the Blue Ridge Mountains known for its guitarists and for its fine instrument makers. Wayne Henderson, a resident of Rugby, Virginia (population 100) is both.A GUITAR PLAYER since the age of five, Wayne learned chords and tunes from musician neighbors Katherine and Blair Reedy. He was also influenced by the great Rugby guitarist Estil (E.C.) Ball. A Blue Ridge radio favorite, Ball performed in a string band with Wayne's father, fiddler Walter Henderson. 'Any good guitar player uses fingerpicks,' Ball told young Wayne. 'Don't ever fool with a flatpick.' He never has. Some of Wayne's playing may sound like flatpicking, but it's not. An evening with Wayne is sure to include lots of Carter Family tunes, as well as old-time fiddle tunes, rags, and reels learned from his fiddle-playing father and from guitar-picking friends like Doc Watson. IN ADDITION to his guitar playing, Wayne has been a guitar maker since the age of 14, drawing inspiration and help from Albert Hash, a Rugby violin and fretted instrument maker whose instruments were a local legend. Wayne and his partner, Gerald Anderson, now make some of the most sought-after guitars and mandolins in this country.WAYNE HENDERSON has toured nationally with the National Council for the Traditional Arts' 'Masters of the Steel-String Guitar' tour. He was honored for his instrument making in 1995 with a prestigious National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts. He has made a number of recordings, which will be available at the concert.DON'T MISS this rare opportunity to hear one of guitar-picking's all-time greats. If you're an FSGW member (or if you join FSGW at the concert), admission is FREE; nonmember admission is $15. The concert begins at 8:00 p.m. at the Washington Ethical Society auditorium, 7750 16th St. NW (just 1/2 mile south of the D.C.-Md. line).