Wayne Henderson

Wayne C. Henderson is an American guitar maker who specializes in the crafting of handmade, custom acoustic guitars. He also occasionally makes other stringed instruments, such as mandolins, banjos, and fiddles.

Biography Henderson was born May 3, 1947, in Grayson County, Virginia, Ricky Skaggs, Vince Gill, Eric Clapton, and many others.

The book Clapton's Guitar: Watching Wayne Henderson Build the Perfect Instrument (2005) outlined the process by which Henderson built a guitar for Eric Clapton. In 2008 he was the subject of an Appalshop documentary, From Wood to Singing Guitar.

As well as being a world renowned instrument maker, he has also become well known for his guitar playing ability. Henderson is also a fingerstyle guitar player, and was influenced by his older cousin Estil C. Ball. He was featured as part of the "Masters of the Steel String Guitar" tour and has traveled internationally with the United States Information Agency. He also performed at Carnegie Hall and the Smithsonian Institution and for "America's Reunion" during the 1992 presidential inauguration.

Awards and honors He has won over 300 ribbons playing in competitions at fiddlers conventions.

In a 1995 White House ceremony, he was awarded a National Heritage Fellowship in recognition of his extraordinary instrument-making.