Trey Hensley

Artist Information

GRAMMY® Award-winning musician and singer/songwriter Trey Hensley—referred to as "Nashville's hottest young player" by Acoustic Guitar magazine—was voted the 2023 IBMA (International Bluegrass Music Association) Guitar Player of the Year, joining such notable GRAMMY® Award winning artists as Billy Strings and Molly Tuttle who also earned that coveted IBMA honor in recent years. A multiple GRAMMY® nominee, Hensley received his first GRAMMY® Award at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards in L.A. on Feb. 2, 2025 as a member of The Taj Mahal Sextet, whose album Swingin’ Live At The Church In Tulsa won in the Best Traditional Blues Album category.

Widely noted for his world class musicianship and guitar prowess, Hensley was invited to perform alongside some of the world’s greatest guitarists at Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival 2023 in Los Angeles. That same year, Hensley was a featured player in a piece published by Guitar World magazine titled “6 Blazing Bluegrass Guitarists You Need To Hear.”

Hensley’s other-worldly guitar playing has attracted more than a third of a million followers on social media with rapid growth each day. Hensley has received praise from a truly eclectic group of guitar legends spanning multiple worlds of music who have become vocal fans of his, including legendary Deep Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore (who recently referred to Trey as "my favorite guitar player”); Tommy Emmanuel, CGP (who has called Trey "one of my favorite guitarists"); Steve Vai; Neal Schon; Vince Gill; Steve Wariner, CGP; Joe Bonamassa; John Petrucci; John 5; Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers’ Mike Campbell, and many others. Stone Temple Pilots’ Dean DeLeo and Robert DeLeo invited Trey to perform live with the band at a sold-out 12,000+ amphitheatre show in Atlanta in late 2024 and insisted Trey play lead electric guitar on their hit, "Plush," following a grand intro of Trey to their fans in what must surely have been the only bluegrass jam ever to make an appearance in the middle of an STP set! Trey recently partnered with the Huss & Dalton Guitar Company to create The Trey Hensley Signature Model guitar, which was a top pick of NAMM 2025 by Premier Guitar magazine.

But with Hensley it's not just the guitar that does the talking—he’s also well known for his rich, powerful and soulful baritone vocals with echoes of Merle Haggard and George Jones. While that is true, Hensley’s voice is something all its own that cuts through and leaves a lasting impression (as Holler put it: “Hensley possesses a strikingly resonate, emotional voice, one that makes him a potent singer outside of his superb finger-picking ability.”)

Hensley’s musical DNA is made up of an impressive, eclectic melting pot of artists including The Allman Brothers Band, Merle Haggard, B.B. King, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Tom Petty, Jimi Hendrix, Tony Rice, Earl Scruggs, George Jones, Buck Owens, Wes Montgomery, Van Halen, Miles Davis, Jerry Garcia, Del McCoury, Jimmy Martin, Billy Joe Shaver, Ray Charles, The Band and many others.

Given that, it’s no wonder his impressive list of collaborations includes a lengthy and diverse list of extraordinary artists: Johnny Cash, Vince Gill, Dolly Parton, Marty Stuart, Earl Scruggs, Taj Mahal, Tommy Emmanuel, Peter Frampton, Rodney Crowell, Rob Ickes, Steve Vai, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Little Feat, Leftover Salmon, Old Crow Medicine Show, Stone Temple Pilots, Steve Martin, Molly Tuttle, Isaac Slade (former lead singer of The Fray), Jorma Kaukonen, Hot Tuna, Larry Campbell & Teresa Williams and many more. Hensley was chosen to perform in December 2022 as part of special 2-night-only engagement with Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and special guests celebrating the 50 Anniversary of NGDB’s groundbreaking album, Will The Circle Be Unbroken, at the CMA Theatre at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville.

Hensley is now embarking on a solo career, having enjoyed a successful string of four critically acclaimed recording projects and several years of highly-touted live performances with GRAMMY® Award winning resophonic guitarist Rob Ickes. The debut Ickes & Hensley album, Before The Sun Goes Down, earned them a GRAMMY® nomination, and the followup albums (The Country Blues, World Full Of Blues, Living In A Song) received widespread critical acclaim. Premier Guitar magazine called them "two of the hottest country and bluegrass players in the business.” On October 27, 2023, an album titled A Tribute To The Judds (produced by Brent Maher and executive produced by Joe Galante and Renee Bell) was released worldwide by BMG. It included a moving collaboration between Hensley, Rob Ickes and Molly Tuttle on "John Deere Tractor" alongside an all-star cast on the record including Dolly Parton, Lainey Wilson, Reba McEntire, Jelly Roll, Gwen Stefani & Blake Shelton, Cody Johnson, and more. 

Hensley can be seen nationwide on television: he had his own episode of the Emmy-nominated My Bluegrass Story (produced by the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame) on RFD-TV; David Holt's State of Music on PBS; Opry Live on Circle All Access; and has been a featured artist multiple times on PBS' Woodsongs. His music is frequently showcased on Sirius/XM, the nationally syndicated radio program Mountain Stage (on nearly 300 public radio stations across America), the nationally syndicated WoodSongs Old-Time Radio Hour (on nearly 550 radio stations around the world) and on WSM-AM Radio worldwide from the Grand Ole Opry stage in Nashville, where Hensley often performs. The Opry holds a special place in Hensley’s heart, as he made his Grand Ole Opry debut at the age of 11, performing with Marty Stuart and Earl Scruggs (thanks to an invite from Stuart)—quite a way to be catapulted into the spotlight.