Cory Wong is an American guitarist, songwriter and producer based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He has released several works as a solo artist and in partnership with others. His background spans several genres including jazz. He has performed with Vulfpeck, Stay Human and Chris Thile. His most recent album, Live in Amsterdam—a collaboration with the Metropole Orkest—was released in 2020.
Wong attended University of Minnesota and the McNally Smith College of Music. 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's drummer Michael Bland 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 jazz clubs. He released two records with jazz ensembles, Even Uneven in 2008 and Quartet/Quintet in 2012. He then performed in the Nashvillemusic scene on a regular basis as a session musician and guitarist. He started touring with Ben Rector and worked with a variety of artists including Bryan White, Brandon Heath and Dave Barnes. In 2013, for a six-month period he performed in the Minneapolis-based band Dr. Mambo's Combo with several veterans of the city's R&B-pop-funk music scene including members of Prince's band: Michael Bland and bassist Sonny T. He calls this period his learning curve in performing "vibrant funk soul" music. In 2013, Wong met members of the Los Angeles-based band Vulfpeck. He did a jam with the group which was later rerecorded and released as "Cory Wong". 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 to the front". He is a member of The Fearless Flyers, an instrumental quartet and has released two EPs 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 chart. He released a third album Motivational Music for the Syncopated Soul in 2019. The albums feature contributions by Phoebe Katis, Antwaun Stanley, Michael Bland, Sonny T., Ben Rector, Jon Batiste, Louis Cato, 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 Dave Koz, Metropole Orkest, Stay Human, the house band of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, and with Chris Thile's band on the radio program Live from Here. He has toured in the United States and Europe in support of his solo albums, and with Vulfpeck.
Equipment
Wong's primary equipment includes, Guitar: Fender Highway One Stratocaster with Seymour Duncan Antiquity pickups, Amplifiers: Fender '65 Super Reverb reissue and Kemper Profiler, Strings: D'Addario NYXL, Accessories: Wampler Ego Compressor, Vertex Steel String Clean Drive, Strymon Big Sky. He uses a variety of other instruments and accessories as well. He aims for a clean tone and often records direct.
