Cory Wong
Channel 24, Sacramento
April 23, 2026
Photos by Paul Piazza
Cory Wong, the Minneapolis native turned guitar world ambassador brought his mastery of clean-toned, high-energy rhythm guitar and a band of scintillating precision to Sacramento’s Channel 24 recently. Wong, who became widely know for his work with the group Vulpeck, has distinguished himself in his solo career by practicing a technique where he brings rhythm guitar to the lead role, combining funk, jazz, and pop into a joyful infectious sound. And on the road, he is joined by a truly phenomenal band.
Hailing from Minneapolis, Wong started playing music at an early age. He originally set out to be bassist but by the end of high school, guitar was his primary instrument. After studying music at a couple of different colleges, he decided to pursue a career as a professional.
During his club days in Minneapolis, he worked alongside some members of Prince’s band, where he received a nightly masters class in vibrant soul music. In 2013, he met members of the Ann Arbor based band Vulpeck and soon joined them. He also became a member of the Fearless Flyers, an instrumental quartet and recorded with them.
Soon after that, he began releasing solo music that received national attention. By his third record, he was working with collaborators like Jon Batiste and Louis Cato. More recently, he has spent time on the stage and studio with bassist Victor Wooten.
Wong began a YouTube variety show called Cory and the Wongnotes. The show featured a full ensemble band, comedy skits, interviews, and original music. It became a big hit on YouTube. Currently, Wong hosts the Wong Notes podcast, which features in-depth interviews with a great variety of well-known guitarists and bassists. Most recently, he has hosted such luminaries on the podcast as bassist Oteil Burbridge, guitarist Trey Anastasio, and drummer Nate Smith, who Wong played alongside in the Fearless Flyers.
The show in Sacramento featured most of the same stellar band Wong has toured with of the last three to four years. That includes drummer Peter Janjic and bassist Yohannes Tona, who were both spectacular. Trumpet player Jay Webb was also highlighted. Some of these artists been with him since the YouTube show debuted in 2021, and a few others, like Webb, came along more recently.
On this tour, there were two guests on vocals: Devon Gilfillian and Stephen Day. They came out for a few songs each and then collaborated on a duet of Carol King’s You’ve Got a Friend that turned into a big singalong with the crowd.
Needless to say, on this night in Sacramento, all of the right notes were hit by Wong and the band all night long.
