Randall
Ray
Randall Ray got his first guitar
at the age of eight. His father knew three songs on the guitar
(Wildwood Flower, Walk the Line, and Streets of Laredo) and got
him started on the musical path. His father also built over thirty
flintlock rifles and muskets during his lifetime, so Randall developed
an appreciation and facility for woodworking. This love of woodworking
gradually branched off into luthiery as he started developing
as a guitarist. During college, Randall switched from playing
Bob Dylan, Neil Young, and Grateful Dead songs to flatpicking
bluegrass. He wanted a better guitar but he couldn't afford it,
so he built his first instrument. He became a self-taught luthier
and has been building and repairing for over fifteen years. His
exposure to outstanding vintage instruments has influenced the
development of the Rockbridge Guitar features. Randall's building
gained momentum when James Leva bought the tenth guitar he built
and used it extensively on the Copper Creek recording "Vertie's
Dream." He'd built around twenty guitars when he and Brian
officially teamed up in 2002. His musical experience also makes
Randall aware of the needs of performing guitarists. He's played
in several regional/local bands over the years, and has played
on a few nationally distributed recordings emanating from the
Charlottesville, VA area. Like Brian, he has performed up and
down the Appalachian region, from the North Carolina mountains
to the D.C. suburbs. He also enjoys looking at tool catalogs as
much or more than musical equipment ones these days. Another unique
trait is his ability to talk backwards. His nickname is "Corn
Dog." His guitar heroes are Clarence White, Doc Watson, and
Django Rhinehardt, and he personally test drives each new Rockbridge
Guitar with a medley of Reno's Ride, Stones Rag, and Nuages based
on the versions played by these legends. |
Brian
Calhoun
Brian grew up in Lexington,
Va. As a teenager he started playing electric rock guitar
and took lessons from a local legendary player, repairman,
and luthier, Steve Hoke. Steve introduced Brian to bluegrass
and new acoustic music, and also introduced him to nearby
pickers, including Randall. Brian became so proficient that
he attended the Berklee School of Music in Boston for a semester,
and returned to the Charlottesville, Va. area, where he co-founded
the band, "Walkers Run." After playing extensively
throughout the region, Brian decided to switch his priorities
to luthiery (Randall took his place as lead guitarist in Walkers
Run, so you can see a symbiosis developing here). Brian immersed
himself in his new passion, and studied with violin maker
Sam Compton (Vice President of The Violin Society of America),
mandolin builder John Schofield, as well as Steve Hoke. He
also attended a workshop on the art of inlay work, and realized
his talent for inlay design and technique. Brian began making
custom mandolins and his stunning inlay prompted Randall to
ask him to help finish and inlay a guitar he was building.
They eventually decided to join forces, forming Rockbridge
Guitar Company. In addition to his work with Rockbridge Guitars,
Brian continues to build his own line of Calhoun mandolins
and does custom inlay work for other builders, most notably
Stelling Banjo Company in nearby Afton Va. Stelling has featured
Brian's inlay on their Deluxe Butterfly, Old Woody, Lost Forest,
the 30th anniversary Viking special edition model, and several
others.
Brian currently resides in Gordonsville, Va. with his violinist/fiddler
wife Ann Marie Simpson Calhoun. His main guitar is a prototype
Brazilian Rosewood/Red Spruce Rockbridge guitar. His other
interests include playing guitar and playing basketball. He
is in the minority of luthiers who can do a 360 degree dunk!
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