Tray Wellington
American musician
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Tray Wellington is an American bluegrass banjoist from North Carolina. He has received the International Bluegrass Music Momentum Award (IBMA) in 2019 for instrumentalist of the year[2] and has been a finalist for the New Artist of the Year for two consecutive years as of 2023[update].[3]
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Tray Wellington | |
|---|---|
Wellington in 2025 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | |
| Genres | Bluegrass |
| Instrument | Banjo |
| Label | Mountain Home Records |
| Publisher | Mountain Music Home Company[1] |
| Website | https://traywellington.com/ |
Early life
Wellington was born in Ashe County.[4] During his childhood, he developed an interest in music and learned to play the electric guitar.[4][5] Wellington cites his grandfather as having introduced him to classic country music.[2][6] In middle school, he discovered banjo and began learning to play it.[5][6] He subsequently went to East Tennessee State University where he majored in bluegrass music.[6] During his time in the university, Wellington played alongside his band, Cane Mill Road[3][7] which includes other East Tennessee State University grads.[6] The band went on to win the IBMA award for the band of the year in 2019.[7]
Career
Wellington is known for being a part of the black reclamation of banjo music.[6][8] His debut album, Black Banjo, recorded during the COVID-19 pandemic[4][6] and released in 2022 infuses a modern jazz style into traditional bluegrass banjo music[9] while maintaining a emphasis on showcasing the black roots of the music.[4][10] In 2024, he released a seven song project, Detour to the Moon which also draws inspiration from jazz, hiphop and blues and includes a cover of Kid Cudi's Pursuit of Happiness sung in a bluegrass style.[7][11] In the same year, Wellington received the Steve Martin Banjo Prize for his new approach to bluegrass music.[12]
