Education
In 1957, after graduating from high school, he attended Chicago"s Moody Bible Institute to study theology.
In 1957, after graduating from high school, he attended Chicago"s Moody Bible Institute to study theology.
He helped re-establish flatpicked guitar as a prominent soloing bluegrass instrument. Crary is an innovator of the flatpicking style of guitar playing. He is also a Speech communications Professor at California State University, Fullerton.
Crary categorizes himself as a "Solo flatpicker" and has recorded several projects that feature him along with guests, usually other innovators of the guitar in all styles.
Crary started playing guitar at the age of 12. In 1960, he moved to Lawrence, to study at the University of Kansas, he played guitar and sang in a trio called the Carltons.
1965, he went to San Francisco to study at the Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary — playing locally both with groups and solo to make a living. In 1967, with a degree in hand he moved to Louisville, Kentucky to continue his studies in pursuit of a doctorate of philosophy at the Southern Seminary.
They soon became the house band in a local bar, known as the Red Dog Saloon.
In 1970 he left that band and was replaced by Sam Bush and soon thereafter by Tony Rice. He also released "Bluegrass Guitar", one of the first bluegrass albums built around the acoustic guitar, in that same year. In 1977 he recorded "Lady"s Fancy." a solo album that marked his return to Bluegrass.
In the late 1970s, Berline teamed up once again with Crary and five string banjoist John Hickman for a tour of Japan.
That trio went on to become known as BCH. California and BCH continue to play sporadic dates. Crary hosted a monthly flat picking column in during the 1980s.
A column that on a regular basis was, "the Number. 1 or sometimes the Number.
2 most-read column in the magazine".
In September 2006, Crary produced a theatrical musical history of the guitar called "Primal Twang: The Legacy of the Guitar." The production took place at the Birch North Park Theatre, in the community of North Park, San Diego, California. Primal Twang brought numerous innovators of the Guitar together for a 4 night concert/theater event that has since been released as a Digital Video Disc, including Mason Williams, Doc Watson, Albert Lee, Eric Johnson plus several others