The Beauty, Craftsmanship, and Unique Character of Wayne Henderson

CLAPTON'S GUITAR: Watching Wayne Henderson Build the Perfect Instrument, Allen St. John. Free Press 2006. I could not put this down! I’ve often thought certain, well-used inanimate objects, like musical instruments, could tell us some amazing stories if they only had a voice: Van Cliburn’s or Ray Charles’s piano, Miles Davis’s trumpet, Eric Clapton’s guitar. Imagine the tales! Musicians form intimate relationships with their instruments; they pour their souls into them and, with the best, their souls are reincarnated and rise into the air as music that makes our hearts soar. Bestselling author Allen St. John takes us on a personal journey to watch retired rural mail carrier Wayne Henderson, one of the world’s greatest guitar builders, make such an instrument. Henderson employs experience, creativity, and more than a little down-home ingenuity—and there’s a 10-year waiting list for his heirloom acoustic guitars. St. John writes with poetry and passion, but also with a clear eye about the process—part magic, part music, huge helping of craftsmanship in a world where friendship, laughter, old-time music, and homemade lemon pies and barbeque count for more than who has the big bucks. This book is special if you care about music and craftsmanship. A great gift idea.

Wayne Henderson

Read more about WAYNE HENDERSON, his music and his craftsmanship, plus all about the Wayne C. Henderson Music Festival and Guitar Competition held each year in Grayson Highlands State Park, Wilson, VA.: http://www.waynehenderson.org .

For more about the author ALLEN ST. JOHN: http://www.allenstjohn.com/

May the last days of August be filled with good music, good friends, and great art! 

-- Rosemary Carstens
http://www.FEASTofBooks.com