Tryon luthier Jay Lichty, whose guitars and other instruments have received wide recognition,

will speak about his work and show some of his instruments at the Lanier Library on Tuesday, June 19 at noon. The program is free and everyone is welcome.
When the economic downturn began to affect his professional career in the construction industry, Jay Lichty, a lifelong musician, used some of his free time to build a ukulele, just for the fun of it. A few months later, he had an opportunity to expand his craft by taking a guitar-making workshop at the Tryon Arts and Crafts School. This class was given by the renowned luthier Wayne Henderson and it set Lichty on the road to a brand new career. Henderson and Lichty have since become friends and colleagues.
“I am proud to say I taught Jay to build his first guitar. His guitars show real craftsmanship and sound really good,” said Henderson.
Lichty counts several international performers among his customers. Just a few weeks ago, Shohei Toyoda won Japan’s National Finger-picking Guitar Contest playing his Lichty guitar, and just two weeks ago Australian blues singer and guitarist Geoff Achison performed a song by Nina Simone on his Lichty guitar at Tryon Fine Arts Center. During intermission of that concert by Achison and Randall Bramblett, another of Lichty’s guitars was awarded to the winner of a raffle to benefit the Lance Armstrong Foundation for cancer research. (This fundraising event was organized by John and Dianne Cash, owners of the Nature’s Storehouse health food store in Tryon.)
You can hear more of this story and some of the instruments that Lichty has crafted at this Lanier Library program, which is part of the Brown Bag Lunch series. Audience members are encouraged to bring a bag lunch if desired; coffee will be provided.
– article submitted
by Frances Flynn