Cory Wong comes to Spruce Peak Arts with special guest Trousdale this Saturday, January 20th at 7PM as part of our Founder’s Cup festivities! Before his turn as headliner of the Founders Cup Ski Race and Benefit Concert, get to know the multi-talented musician, guitarist and songwriter.
Wong grew up in Minneapolis, MN. He started piano lessons at a young age before transitioning to the guitar when he was in middle school. He created his first band in eighth grade, and by the time he was a sophomore in high-school, he was committed to the idea of becoming a musician. He studied at the University of Minnesota and the now-defunct McNally Smith School of Music. By twenty, he had decided to pursue music professionally, leaving college behind and beginning his career playing in Minneapolis-St. Paul jazz clubs.
Wong quickly found success as a session musician and touring guitarist. His first tour was with folk-rock singer-songwriter Ben Rector. Upon returning to Minneapolis, he was asked to play with Dr. Mambo’s combo, a collective of artists associated with legendary musician/Minneapolis-native Prince. He often states that this was one of the pivotal moments of his career.
In 2013, Wong met the preliminary members of the Ann Arbor-based funk band Vulfpeck. After performing in a jam with them (released as the track “Cory Wong”), Wong has recorded and toured simultaneously as a solo artist and as an honorary member of Vulfpeck since 2016. Vulfpeck has a fervent, dedicated fan base; the group garnered worldwide attention by exposing a loophole in Spotify’s payment model with the silent album Sleepify.
In 2016, Wong released a solo EP and, the following year, his debut solo album, “Cory Wong and The Green Screen Band.” His second solo album, “The Optimist” (2018), reached number 19 on the U.S. Jazz Albums chart. Wong continued to release albums, including “Motivational Music for the Syncopated Soul” (2019) and “Elevator Music for an Elevated Mood” (2020). Additionally, Wong has collaborated with legendary musicians on albums, such as Dave Matthews, Dave Koz, and Jon Batiste. His collaboration with Jon Batiste, Meditations, earned him a Grammy nomination.
The onset of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 led Wong to release multiple solo and collaborative albums, explore new ventures like hosting a music podcast and a YouTube music-comedy-variety show, “Cory and the Wongnotes”, which features original music, comedy sketches, and interviews with other successful musicians. The series is fully available on Youtube. The second season released in April 2022.
Now fifteen years into his career, Cory Wong is considered one of the most talented touring guitarists in the country. You can catch Wong yourself this Saturday, January 20th at 7PM, as well as enter the lottery to win Cory Wong Signature Fender Stratocaster guitar!
Want to know more about Cory Wong? You can visit their website, https://www.corywongmusic.com, for even more info on the talented guitarist.
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