Meet Asher Brinson. This 16-year-old, left-handed picker, singer and songwriter from Newport, North Carolina has been around music his entire life. His grandaddy was in a band and his dad sings and plays guitar, too.  Family functions always meant music and it usually meant someone was pushing a guitar into Asher’s hands. He never seemed too interested until he went to his first Doc at 100 show at a Billy Strings Concert in 2023. When Asher realized you could do THAT with a guitar, he was suddenly VERY interested.

Asher’s dad, Bo, always loved Doc Watson and his mom bought the family tickets to the Doc at 100 show for her husband’s birthday in 2023.  They had never even heard of Billy Strings at the time. They enjoyed the concert honoring Doc Watson so much, they got tickets for the following night, too. Once Asher heard Billy Strings play, he was all in on bluegrass.

After attending the Ashe County Fiddlers Convention a couple months later, Asher decided he wanted to give this thing a shot. He entered the Galax Fiddlers Convention and learned to pick Black Mountain Rag in one week. He didn’t place in that competition, but it would turn out to be the biggest win of his young career.
After the competition he met a man by the name of Wayne Henderson. Wayne is a world-renowned flat picker and famous luthier.  He was impressed that Asher had learned such a complicated song, all on his own — and so quickly. He invited him back to his shop. Just a few weeks later, Asher and his family visited Wayne’s shop in Rugby, Virginia.  Asher got the tour of a lifetime and Wayne even taught him another fiddle tune.  The two really hit it off, and Asher soon realized that Wayne was one of the musicians playing the concert he had been to just a few months earlier when he fell in love with Jam Grass.

Asher and his family continued to attend Doc at 100 shows and always met Wayne afterwards. The two musicians became fast friends.  Asher became a regular at Wayne’s shop, always leaving with more knowledge and new fiddle tune. Wayne was so impressed by how fast Asher picked up the tunes, he made him his very own Left Handed D-18 Henderson… an amazing gift, as the craftsman’s is said to have a waiting list more than 10 years long!

Wayne started inviting Asher on stage to play a song or two with him when he attended shows.  Asher is honored to have played with his friend at MerleFest and the very last Henderson Festival. 

On Wayne’s birthday in May of 2024, Asher played at the Floyd Country Store where a man name Kibby approached him. He asked Asher who he took lessons from.  After Asher explained that he was self-taught, without missing a beat, Kibby said, “I will pay for you to do lessons with Christopher Henry.” Christopher Henry is an acclaimed musician — singer, songwriter and mandolinist — as well as the founder of Noya Mountain Music.
After just a few short months of lessons with Chris, he told Asher it was time to start writing his own songs.  In less than a month, he wrote seven songs and an instrumental.  In December of 2024, Asher went into the studio and recorded his first tracks. Stay tuned for special song releases and his debut album in August!