In 2003 Vestine was ranked 77th in Rolling Stone magazine list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time".
Born in Takoma Park, Maryland, Vestine was the only son of Harry and Lois Vestine. His father was a noted geophysicist and meteorologist. The Vestine Crater on the Moon had been named posthumously after his father who discovered it. Henry Vestine married Lisa Lack, with whom he moved to Anderson, South Carolina. In 1980 they had a son, Jesse. In 1983, they separated and Vestine moved to Oregon.
Vestine's love of music and the blues in particular was fostered at an early age when he accompanied his father on canvasses of black neighborhoods for old recordings. Like his father, Henry became an avid collector, eventually owning tens of thousands of recordings of blues, hillbilly, country, and Cajun music. At Henry’s urging, his father also used to take him to blues shows at which he and Henry were often the only white people present. Later Henry was instrumental in the "rediscovery" of Skip James and other Delta musicians.

Return to Henry Vestine Autograph Profile