The talent of Wayne and Jayne Henderson

My Grayson County cousin brought my attention to an article in Sunday's Roanoke Times about talented musician and craftsman Wayne Henderson. A successful singer, songwriter, musician, and maker of Henderson guitars, he never forgot where he came from and still lives in Grayson.

His gift for crafting excellent guitars is a talent he has passed on to his 29-year-old daughter:

As she was starting a career in environmental law, Jayne Henderson struck upon what seemed a good idea for paying off some of her law-school loans: She would ask her father to build one of his highly coveted guitars that she could, in turn, sell.

Her father, Wayne Henderson, had an even better idea.

“That’s fine,” she remembers him telling her, “but you have to make it.”

So, under his guidance, she did. She wound up with an extremely well-made guitar and a personal discovery about the process.

“It turns out, I loved it more than environmental law,” she said.

Good to know the tradition will continue on for years to come.