Red Henry and his family are no strangers to the bluegrass and folk festival scene in Florida. The Henrys often play at the Gamble Rogers Folk Festival, which is held in the St. Augustine area to honor the late guitar finger-picking balladeer who graced stages across the country with his musical ability and legendary story-telling. Rogers was inducted into the Florida Artists Hall of Fame in the late 1990s, not many years after he died trying to save a drowning man off Flagler Beach. Red Henry was one of Gamble’s close friends. Henry, a former Floridian, now lives in Winchester, Virginia.
All the members of the Henry family are part of the country’s “bluegrass scene” and are all accomplished musicians. Red plays a variety of instruments including mandolin and fiddle. His wife Murphy plays guitar and banjo and is well-known for her “Murphy Method” for teaching how to play many bluegrass instruments. Daughter Casey plays banjo and son Chris plays guitar and mandolin and has been touring across the country with his own band called Chris Henry and the Hardcore Grass.
Red and Chris like to come to Florida festivals to play, especially the Will McLean Folk Festival and the Florida Folk Festival because of their close ties to not only Gamble Rogers, but also the “Father of Florida Folk,” Will McLean and environmental troubadour Dale Crider. Donna Green-Townsend has this profile: Aired on WUFT on April 30, 2010
Here is Red and Chris Henry and their All Star Band performing Stay Out Of Your Way at the 2017 Will McLean Music Festival
During the 2015 Florida Folk Festival in White Springs, Chris and Red Henry and their Allstar Band performed one of Chris’ new songs, “I’m Gonna Wait On Jesus” on the Mainstage.
Here’s a recording of a typical jam at a Henry campsite…this one recorded in 2012 at the Will McLean Festival: