East Tennessee native Trey Hensley began singing gospel as a six-year-old. After hearing Jimmy Martin at a festival, he turned his attention to bluegrass and guitar and just a few months after that he was on stage at the Grand Ole Opry with Marty Stuart and Earl Scruggs.
Hensley met Marty Stuart when he was ten at a music festival. His dad took him to get his guitar case signed. Unbeknownst to Trey, his dad put the guitar in the case. When they met Marty, his dad said, “Marty, my son would love to play you a song.” Trey played him an old Carter Family song and Marty had him come up onstage and play at his next show that night.
After recording three albums, Trey Hensley joined Rob Ickes in their Grammy nominated duo. Hensley brings powerful vocals along with guitar work that has earned an International Bluegrass Music Association Award for Guitar Player of the Year.
As important as his musical talents, Hensley brings another musical perspective. He grew up with more interest and exposure to rock music, and it shows through the duo’s song selections. The pair decided to cover Brown Eyed Women from the Grateful Dead because Hensley had heard and liked it. Ickes was only barely familiar with the Dead’s music.
When asked about what he would do if he was not a musician, Hensley offered a very practical answer: “I was going to go to college for AutoCAD design and engineering stuff. I really liked that, but I really like playing guitar more.”.
