Photos by: Bill Stephens
If you’ve driven down 2nd Street lately, you may have noticed a facelift along the facade of the former site of the International Bluegrass Music Museum at 207 East 2nd. The original, faded aqua is now jewel-toned blues and greens. The reason for the building’s glow-up is the impending opening of the Kentucky Guitar Center and Faris Guitar Company, both of which are tied to the arrival of an exciting new Owensboro resident: Rick Faris.
Rick Faris is a two-time Grammy nominated and seven-time IBMA (International Bluegrass Museum Association) winning musician who has been immersed in bluegrass his entire life. A native of Kansas, Faris’s move to Owensboro is a direct result of the effort of the Bluegrass Music Initiative, which seeks to take strategic steps to develop Owensboro as the Bluegrass Music Capital of the World.
The Bluegrass Music Initiative (BMI) is facilitated by Steve Johnson, former Vice President for Government, Community, and Legislative Affairs at Owensboro Health. Johnson explains that the BMI, which is supported by both the city and county, had a desire to find a young musician who was also a luthier (a craftsperson who makes stringed instruments such as violins and guitars) to create an additional bluegrass venue in town. Enter Faris, who says, “I had always heard about Owensboro being where the first IBMA was held and adored by many as ‘the best location there ever was.’” Faris adds that Bluegrass is “an oddity” where he comes from so, when he and his wife, Nicole, learned about Owensboro’s attempts to wrap itself in its Bluegrass identity they thought it was “too good to be true.”
The couple and their two sons, ages 13 and 3, traveled to Owensboro in December 2022 to tour and get a feel for the area. “The boys had a blast playing at all the parks and my wife and I were so excited to enjoy the bluegrass culture, great restaurants and awesome folks we’ve met so far in town,” Faris reports.
Rick Faris will move in January and work will start right away on getting Kentucky Guitar Works up and running, starting with tool setup, benches, and the construction of efficiency jigs built for the new space. “We expect full speed guitar building in three months’ time,” he says.
To the uninitiated (including the writer of this article), the process of guitar building is something of a mystery, and the relationship between the various entities with which Faris is involved is rather nuanced. “The relationship between BMI, Kentucky Guitar Works, and Faris Guitar Company is almost like a business incubator,” Steve Johnson explains. “The goal is to extend the visual downtown core. After visitors see the International Bluegrass Museum and Hall of Fame, they can stroll down the street and see the luthier and Faris – the artist in residence.”
Faris explains further, “Faris Guitar Co. is the luthier in residence that will lead workshops, educational seminars, instrument building classes and instruct apprentices. Kentucky Guitar Works is connected with the Bluegrass Museum to nurture and grow awareness for a hand-built, rewarding bluegrass career path that is in high demand and commonly undertrained because of lack of training centers, or underserved because of industry giants retiring and not preparing contemporaries to fill their wake.”
The guitars that Faris makes, (which will soon be a product of Owensboro) are not “just” guitars.” Rather, they are pre-war/1930s style custom ordered and handmade by a craftsman who is also an award-winning musician and understands how a superior instrument should feel and sound.
The arrival of Faris and what he brings to the Bluegrass identity of Owensboro will not only be beneficial as a draw for visitors, though Johnson points out that the Bluegrass reputation of Owensboro is actually bigger to outsiders than residents of the area realize. Both Johnson and Faris express a duty to the genre itself, as well as a desire to open eyes to a craft that many people have never seen firsthand.
Faris says, “We plan to leave the world of luthiery better off than we found it, and that happens with a giving spirit and a community mindset. We plan to attract new luthiers to join the trade, excite and educate those who are already practicing their skills, and bring an awareness and accessibility to the craft that is rarely seen by the general public.” OL
