Spendin’ Christmas in Steve Wariner’s arms

Steve Wariner and his custom “Nashville Gentleman” Gretsch electric guitar are right at home on a wooden pew belonging to the landmark Ryman Auditorium, the “Mother Church of Country Music” and the original home of the Grand Ole Opry, circa May 10, 2019. The “Katie Wants a Fast One” picker has been an Opry member since 1996. Photography by David Abbott / Derrek Kupish Productions

Certified guitar technician Steve Wariner accrued 33 Top Ten singles in the ’80s and ‘90s, accentuated by such chart-topping mid-tempo ballads as “All Roads Lead to You,” “Some Fools Never Learn,” and the Academy of Country Music’s Song of the Year “Holes in the Floor of Heaven.” AllMusic aptly correlates how the Kentucky transplant’s “low-tuned guitars and wide range of his singles brought frequent comparisons to…