Virginia Luthiers play the Blue Ridge Music Center

Date

Saturday, October 15, 2016 - 5:00pm

Location

Blue Ridge Music Center
Milepost 213 - Blue Ridge Parkway
700 Foothills Road
Galax, VA 24333

Wayne Henderson was born, raised, and still lives in Rugby, Virginia, population seven, near the North Carolina state line. When his first guitar, a mail-order instrument from Sears, proved a disappointment, he set out to build his own using wood from the bottom of a dresser drawer. More than 650 guitars later, his instruments are legendary, sought after by the likes of Eric Clapton and the late Doc Watson. He took first place 13 times at the Old Fiddlers’ Convention guitar competition, and in 1995 was honored with the National Heritage Fellowship by the National Endowment for the Arts.

Jimmy Edmonds was a child prodigy who began playing at 5-years-old. Starting at age 10, he placed first in the Old Fiddlers’ Convention’s fiddle competition eight years in a row. His grandfather, “Uncle” Norman Edmonds, was a fiddler who recorded with singer J.P. Nestor during the 1927 Bristol Sessions. In 2001, Edmonds began making fiddles and now crafts guitars, as well.

As a young college graduate, Gerald Anderson was introduced to instrument making by Henderson during the course of many afternoons spent observing and jamming in the musician’s tiny Rugby workshop. Anderson now has his own business, Anderson String Instruments, and handcrafts guitars and mandolins.

Passing on his training, Anderson has taught his craft to the group’s youngest member, Spencer Strickland, with the support of a Virginia Folklife Program apprenticeship. Strickland has won many prestigious awards, including first place in mandolin at the Old Fiddlers’ Convention and MerleFest.

This is an indoor event and seating is limited. Tickets are $15. Visit blueridgemusiccenter.org or call (866) 308-2773, ext. 245.

Since 2013, the Foundation has funded the concert programming at the Blue Ridge Music Center in keeping with the nonprofit’s mission to ensure cultural and historical preservation, along with natural resource protection, educational outreach, and visitor enjoyment now and for future generations. Learn more