Last Friday, a group of bluegrassmusician friends from Southern Virginia played at Lisner Auditorium in DC. Three days later they came back to DC for a rare off-night in the middle of a three week tour.

Wayne Henderson is a well-known guitarist and luthier. The waiting list for Wayne’s guitars is close to ten years. Eric Clapton had to wait four years for his. Allen St. John wrote the book – Clapton’s Guitar: Watching Wayne Henderson Build the Perfect Instrument. Besides being an incredible guitarist and luthier, Wayne is a big time Boston Red Sox and MLB fan.

Stevie Barr, the ace banjo player and founder of No Speed Limit along with Wayne are friends of mine that I met a few years ago on a shoot along the Crooked Road in Virginia.

Stevie and I were speaking a few weeks ago and I suggested that we go see a game while the tour was in town. I expected that Wayne, Stevie, my assistant Audrey and I would head off to Nationals Park to the Nats versus the Rockies. Ten musicians from the tour came along and we had amazing seats, courtesy of Wayne, that were near first base and a few rows up from the rail.

One of the beer and soda vendors grew up near Wayne’s home town of Rugby (population 7) and had a wonderful time discussing old-time music and telling the crowd around us that Wayne was a famous musician and luthier. (which he is)

One of the joys of location photography is to paraphrase Jay Maisel, “The license to steal experience.” Before photographing Wayne and Stevie, I knew very little of bluegrass, although I did know of Wayne from photographing Jane Alexander and her work at the NEA the year that Wayne was given an award by the National Endowment for the arts.

Oh yeah, the Nats won! 5-2.
Wayne Henderson, Audrey Lew, Stevie Barr
Stevie after trying to chase down a fly ball.
A few musicians from the tour with Ms. Lew.
Wayne, Mr. Jefferson and Stevie.