Cory Wong (born c. 1985) is a

Grammy The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...

-nominated American guitarist, bassist, songwriter, podcast-host, and producer based in

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

. He has released many works as a solo artist and in partnership with others. His background spans several genres including

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

and

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the m ...

. He has performed with

Vulfpeck Vulfpeck is an American funk band founded in 2011 by Jack Stratton, Theo Katzman, Woody Goss and Joe Dart. The band has released four extended plays, five studio albums and a live album, having released all of their music independently. The ba ...

Dave Koz David Stephen Koz (born March 27, 1963) is an American smooth jazz saxophonist, composer, record producer, and radio personality based in California. Early life Dave Koz was born in Encino, California, to Jewish parents: Norman, a dermatologist ...

, Stay Human,

The Fearless Flyers Vulfpeck is an American funk band founded in 2011 by Jack Stratton, Theo Katzman, Woody Goss and Joe Dart. The band has released four extended plays, five studio albums and a live album, having released all of their music Independent music, indep ...

Ben Rector Benjamin Evans Rector (born November 6, 1986) is an American singer, songwriter and record producer based in Nashville, Tennessee. He has released seven studio albums, including '' Brand New'' (2015), which peaked at No. 9 on the ''Billboard'' ...

Dr. Mambo's Combo Dr. Mambo's Combo, otherwise known as "The Combo", is a soul and R&B band that has been playing at Bunker's Music Bar & Grill in downtown Minneapolis since 1987. Original members include Tim Emerson (Dr. Mambo), Margaret Cox, Billy Franze, Bruce Ja ...

Chris Thile Christopher Scott Thile (; born February 20, 1981) is an American mandolinist, singer, songwriter, composer, and radio personality, best known for his work in the progressive acoustic trio Nickel Creek and the acoustic folk and progressive blue ...

and

Dirty Loops Dirty Loops is a band from Stockholm, Sweden, made up of Jonah Nilsson (vocals and piano), Henrik Linder (bass) and Aron Mellergård (drums). Their arrangements borrow from jazz and jazz fusion, gospel, funk, electronica, pop, and disco. They ar ...

. He released several albums in 2020, including ''Live in Amsterdam'', a collaboration with the

Metropole Orkest The Metropole Orkest (Metropole Orchestra) is a jazz and pop orchestra based in the Netherlands, and is the largest full-time ensemble of its kind in the world. A hybrid orchestra, it is a combination of jazz, big band and symphony orchestra. Com ...

, and ''Meditations'', a

new-age New Age is a range of spiritual or religious practices and beliefs which rapidly grew in Western society during the early 1970s. Its highly eclectic and unsystematic structure makes a precise definition difficult. Although many scholars conside ...

album with

Jon Batiste Jonathan Michael Batiste (born November 11, 1986) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, bandleader, and television personality. He has recorded and performed with artists in various genres of music (Stevie Wonder, Prince, Willie Nelson, ...

. His recent works include two albums released in conjunction with his variety show.

Early life

Born in

Poughkeepsie, New York Poughkeepsie ( ), officially the City of Poughkeepsie, separate from the Town of Poughkeepsie around it) is a city in the U.S. state of New York. It is the county seat of Dutchess County, with a 2020 census population of 31,577. Poughkeepsi ...

, Wong was raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and is of mixed

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of va ...

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

descent. Growing up, he was exposed to classic rock and jazz music by his father. He took piano lessons at age nine. He was fascinated by the

Red Hot Chili Peppers Red Hot Chili Peppers are an American rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1983, comprising vocalist Anthony Kiedis, bassist Flea (musician), Flea, drummer Chad Smith, and guitarist John Frusciante. Their music incorporates element ...

and Primus and decided to play bass and start a band. He took guitar and bass lessons and started a punk rock band. His first instruments were a

Fender Jazz Bass The Fender Jazz Bass (often shortened to ''J-Bass'') is the second model of Bass guitar, electric bass created by Leo Fender. It is distinct from the Fender Precision Bass, Precision Bass in that its tone is brighter and richer in the midrange a ...

, a

Gretsch Gretsch is an American company that manufactures musical instruments. The company was founded in 1883 in Brooklyn, New York by Friedrich Gretsch, a 27-year-old German immigrant, shortly after his arrival to the United States. Friedrich Gretsc ...

guitar, and a

Fender Stratocaster The Fender Stratocaster, colloquially known as the Strat, is a model of electric guitar designed from 1952 into 1954 by Leo Fender, Bill Carson, George Fullerton, and Freddie Tavares. The Fender Musical Instruments Corporation has continuously ...

. He acquired a second Stratocaster during his senior year of high school, which remained his primary instrument.

Career

Wong attended

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Tw ...

and the

McNally Smith College of Music McNally Smith College of Music was a private for-profit music school in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Initially founded in 1984 as the Guitar Center of Minneapolis, it was renamed Musictech College and moved to St. Paul in 2001. The school was renamed ...

. At age 20 he decided to pursue music professionally. He credits his music school environment and his mentors for putting him on the right track. In particular he credits Peruvian guitarist Andrés Prado and

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. Th ...

's drummer

Michael Bland Michael Bland (born March 14, 1969) is an American musician best known as a drummer for Prince starting in 1989. He was with Prince during The New Power Generation era and played with him live and on albums for seven years. From 1995 to 1997, B ...

for showing him the nuances and cohesion of performing in an ensemble. He names guitarists Dave Williams and Paul Jackson Jr. as early influences. In late 2000s and early 2010s, Wong focused on jazz music and performed in

Minneapolis–Saint Paul Minneapolis–Saint Paul is a metropolitan area in the Upper Midwestern United States centered around the confluence of the Mississippi, Minnesota and St. Croix rivers in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It is commonly known as the Twin Cities ...

jazz clubs. He released two records with jazz ensembles, ''Even Uneven'' in 2008 and ''Quartet/Quintet'' in 2012. He then performed in the

Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...

music scene on a regular basis as a session musician and guitarist. He started touring with

and worked with a variety of artists including

Bryan White Bryan Shelton White (born February 17, 1974) is an American country music singer and songwriter. Signed to Asylum Records in 1994 at age 20, White released his self-titled debut album that year. Both it and its follow-up, 1996's '' Between Now ...

Brandon Heath Brandon Heath Knell (born July 21, 1978) is an American contemporary Christian musician, singer, and songwriter from Nashville, Tennessee. He has released six studio albums: ''Don't Get Comfortable'' (2006), ''What If We'' (2008), ''Leaving Ede ...

and

Dave Barnes David Mckee Barnes (born June 20, 1978) is an American musician, singer, and songwriter from Nashville, Tennessee. He has released eight studio albums, including two Christmas albums. His most recent full-length album, ''Dreaming in Electric ...

. In 2013, for a six-month period he performed in the Minneapolis-based band

with several veterans of the city's R&B-pop-funk music scene including members of

's band: Michael Bland and bassist

Sonny T Sonny T. (born Sonny Thompson) is an American bass player. He was a member of The New Power Generation, Prince's recording and stage band, from 1991–1996. Sonny T. was a member of the Minneapolis bands Back to Black and The Lewis Connection ...

. He calls this period his learning curve in performing "vibrant funk soul" music. Cory Wong-with Vulfpeck-at-crystal-ballroom-may-26-2017

In 2013, Wong met members of the

Ann Arbor Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female given name Anna (name), Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah (given name), Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie (given name), ...

-based band

. He did a

jam Jam is a type of fruit preserve. Jam or Jammed may also refer to: Other common meanings * A firearm malfunction * Block signals ** Radio jamming ** Radar jamming and deception ** Mobile phone jammer ** Echolocation jamming Arts and entertai ...

with the group which was later rerecorded and released as "

Cory Wong Cory Wong (born c. 1985) is a Grammy-nominated American guitarist, bassist, songwriter, podcast-host, and producer based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He has released many works as a solo artist and in partnership with others. His background spans ...

". In 2016, he started recording and touring with the band. He has recorded on every Vulfpeck album since then and toured with the band. He said of his guitar sound with Vulfpeck: "part of my sound is kind of bringing

rhythm guitar In music performances, rhythm guitar is a technique and role that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with other instruments from the rhythm section (e.g., drum kit, bass guitar ...

to the front". He is a member of The Fearless Flyers, an instrumental quartet (with Vulfpeck's bass player Joe Dart,

Snarky Puppy Snarky Puppy is an American instrumental band led by bassist Michael League. Founded in 2004, Snarky Puppy combines a variety of jazz idioms, rock, world music, and funk and has won four Grammy Awards. Although the band has worked with vocalist ...

's guitarist Mark Lettieri and drummer Nate Smith) and has released three EPs and an album with the group. In 2016, Wong released a six-track EP as a lead artist. In 2017, he released his debut solo album, ''Cory Wong and The Green Screen Band''. His second solo album ''The Optimist'' was released in 2018 and reached number 19 on the U.S.

Jazz Albums The ''Billboard'' charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs and albums in the United States and elsewhere. The results are published in ''Billboard'' magazine. ''Billboard'' biz, the online extension of the ''Billboard'' charts, pr ...

chart. He released a third album ''Motivational Music for the Syncopated Soul'' in 2019. The albums feature contributions by Phoebe Katis,

Antwaun Stanley Antwaun Stanley is an American R&B singer and songwriter based in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Career Stanley grew up in Flint, Michigan. He began singing at age three and took part in talent competitions including ''The Queen Latifah Show'' and ' ...

, Michael Bland, Sonny T., Ben Rector,

Louis Cato Louis Cato is the bandleader for The Late Show Band, the house band for ''The Late Show with Stephen Colbert''. Cato is a multi-instrumentalist who plays bass, guitar, percussion, low brass, and others, in addition to vocals. He is also a song ...

, Nate Smith and others. In 2020, Wong released his fourth solo album, ''Elevator Music for an Elevated Mood'', which he called a continuation of his third album. Wong has performed with

, Stay Human (the house band of ''

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert ''The Late Show with Stephen Colbert'' is an American late-night news and liberal political satire talk show hosted by Stephen Colbert, which premiered on September 8, 2015. Produced by Spartina Productions and CBS Studios, it is the second it ...

''), and with

's band on the radio program ''

Live from Here ''Live from Here'', formerly known as ''A Prairie Home Companion with Chris Thile'', is an American variety radio show known for its musical guests, tongue-in-cheek radio drama, and relaxed humor. Hosted by Chris Thile, it aired live on Saturda ...

''. He has toured in the United States and Europe in support of his solo albums, and with Vulfpeck. He released several albums in 2020, including a

nominated

album titled ''Meditations'' with Jon Batiste. In 2020 to 2022, in the absence of touring over the coronavirus pandemic, Wong released multiple solo and collaborative albums including ''The Golden Hour'' with Dave Koz, ''Turbo'' with

, and ''Tailwinds'' with The Fearless Flyers. He hosted a music podcast for ''

Premier Guitar ''Premier Guitar'' is a media company devoted to guitarists. It is based in Marion, Iowa, and it's staff is focused on creating the best website, videos, podcasts, and print/digital magazine for gearheads around the world. Interviews have include ...

'' magazine and he produced a YouTube music-comedy-variety show. In 2021, the Fender company released the Cory Wong signature model Stratocaster guitar which incorporates Wong's design preferences.

Variety show

In 2021, Wong premiered a YouTube variety show titled "Cory and the Wongnotes". The show features a full ensemble band, original music, short comedy skits, and interviews on subjects such as gear, genre and rhythm. The band consists of Wong (guitar),

Sonny T. Sonny T. (born Sonny Thompson) is an American bass player. He was a member of The New Power Generation, Prince's recording and stage band, from 1991–1996. Sonny T. was a member of the Minneapolis bands Back to Black and The Lewis Connectio ...

(bass), Kevin Gastonguay (keys), Nêgah Santos (percussion), Petar Janjic (drums),

Eddie Barbash Eddie Barbash is an American saxophonist known for his work as a core member of Jon Batiste and Stay Human, and was part of the house band for Late Show with Stephen Colbert through 2016. Early life Barbash was born in West Islip, New York, b ...

(sax), Kenni Holmen (sax, flute), Sam Greenfield (sax, clarinet), Steve Strand (trumpet), Jon Lampley (trumpet), Michael Nelson (trombone, horn arrangement). The show featured collaborators

Cody Fry Cody Fry is an American singer, songwriter, composer and producer based in Nashville. Biography Cody Fry is the son of orchestral composer Gary Fry. He graduated from New Trier High School in 2008 and then moved to Nashville to study voice at ...

and

and culminated in the release of an 11-track album. The second season of the show premiered in April 2022 and includes guests

Larry Carlton Larry Eugene Carlton (born March 2, 1948) is an American guitarist who built his career as a studio musician in the 1970s and 1980s for acts such as Steely Dan and Joni Mitchell. He has participated in thousands of recording sessions, recorde ...

Mark Lettieri Mark Lettieri (born c. 1984) is an American guitarist, composer and producer. He is a member of the jazz fusion band Snarky Puppy, funk band The Fearless Flyers, and also performs with his quartet, the Mark Lettieri Group. His background spans ...

, Nate Smith,

Victor Wooten Victor Lemonte Wooten (born September 11, 1964) is an American bassist, songwriter, and record producer. He has been the bassist for Béla Fleck and the Flecktones since the group's formation in 1988 and a member of the band SMV with two other ...

Sierra Hull Sierra Dawn Hull (born September 27, 1991) is an American bluegrass singer-songwriter, mandolinist, and guitarist. Hull was signed to Rounder Records at the age of 13 and released her debut vocal album, ''Secrets'', in 2008 at the age of 16. ...

Béla Fleck Béla Anton Leoš Fleck (born July 10, 1958) is an American banjo player. An acclaimed virtuoso, he is an innovative and technically proficient pioneer and ambassador of the banjo, bringing the instrument from its bluegrass roots to jazz, classi ...

Chromeo Chromeo is a Canadian electro-funk duo from Montreal, formed in 2002 by musicians David "Dave 1" Macklovitch and Patrick "P-Thugg" Gemayel. Their sound draws from blue-eyed soul, dance music, rock, synth-pop, disco and funk. , the band has rele ...

Big Wild Jackson Stell (born 1990), known by his stage name of Big Wild, is an American electronic producer, composer, vocalist and sound engineer. As a performer, his live shows often consist of switching between multiple instruments (drum pads, synths ...

Billy Strings Billy Strings (born William Lee Apostol, October 3, 1992) is an American guitarist and bluegrass musician. He won a Grammy Award in 2021. Early life Billy Strings was born William Lee Apostol on October 3, 1992, in Lansing, Michigan. His fath ...

Lindsay Ell Lindsay Elizabeth Ell (born 20 March 1989) is a Canadian-American country pop singer, songwriter, guitarist and television personality from Calgary, Alberta. Her music incorporates elements of rock and blues. She was signed to the US record labe ...

and

Joey Dosik Joey Dosik is an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist based in Los Angeles, California. His most recent album, ''Inside Voice'', was released in 2018. Career Dosik grew up in Los Angeles, California. He started on piano at an ...

. A 15-track album titled ''Power Station'' was released in conjunction with the show.

Equipment

Wong's primary equipment includes the following, ''Guitar:'' Fender Highway One Stratocaster with Seymour Duncan Antiquity pickups, ''Amplifiers:'' Fender '65 Super Reverb reissue and Kemper Profiler, ''Strings:'' D'Addario NYXL (.010–.046), ''Accessories:'' Wampler Ego Compressor, Vertex Steel String Clean Drive, and Strymon Big Sky. He uses a variety of other instruments and accessories as well. He aims for a clean tone, and often records

direct Direct may refer to: Mathematics * Directed set, in order theory * Direct limit of (pre), sheaves * Direct sum of modules, a construction in abstract algebra which combines several vector spaces Computing * Direct access (disambiguation), a ...

. In 2021, the Fender company released Wong's signature model Stratocaster guitar.

Discography

Solo studio albums *''Quartet/Quintet'' (2012) *''Cory Wong and The Green Screen Band'' (2017) *''The Optimist'' (2018) *''Motivational Music for the Syncopated Soul'' (2019) *''Elevator Music for an Elevated Mood'' (2020) *''Trail Songs : Dusk'' (2020) *''Trail Songs (Dawn)'' (2020) *''The Striped Album'' (2020) *''Cory and The Wongnotes'' (2021) *''Wong's Cafe'' (2022) *''Power Station'' (2022) Cory Wong Quartet *''Even, Uneven'' (2008) The Fearless Flyers *''The Fearless Flyers'' (2018) *''The Fearless Flyers II'' (2019) *''Tailwinds'' (2020) *''The Fearless Flyers III'' (2022) with Jon Batiste *''Meditations'' (2020) with Dave Koz * ''The Golden Hour'' (2021) with Dirty Loops * ''Turbo'' (2021)

Awards and nominations

Notes

References

External links

* *
Interview with Cory Wong, 2019
at ''

Total Guitar ''Total Guitar'' is a monthly music magazine based in Bath, the United Kingdom, that has been in circulation since 1994. The magazine is owned by Future plc, who publish many other magazines ranging from drums and video games to technology mag ...

'' magazine * {{DEFAULTSORT:Wong, Cory American funk guitarists Rhythm guitarists American male guitarists American session musicians American musicians of Chinese descent Songwriters from Minnesota Guitarists from Minnesota Musicians from Poughkeepsie, New York 21st-century American guitarists 21st-century American male musicians Living people 21st-century American drummers American funk drummers Musicians from Minneapolis American male songwriters 1985 births