Today we’d like to introduce you to Wes Corbett.
Hi Wes, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today.
I was raised on Bainbridge Island, WA, and was very lucky to have parents that started me on Suzuki classical piano at the age of two and a half.
I explored a few other instruments, mainly west African, unintentionally working my way through the roots of the banjo during middle school and early high school. I heard Bela Fleck play banjo for the first time when I was fourteen, and can only describe it as a lightning strike. I rented a banjo from a local music store, had my first lesson, and decided it was what I wanted to do with my life.
I have been a full-time musician since I was twenty. I was the professor of banjo at Berklee College of Music in Boston for 4 years, and am now living in East Nashville splitting my time between producing, teaching, session work, and playing in the Sam Bush Band.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Though I have encountered challenges as a professional musician, and in particular the classism that can be associated with the banjo, I feel that it’s important for me to acknowledge how much privilege I come from. My parents could afford music lessons and instruments, and though I struggled financially when I first started out, I had a safety net that so many do not have.
As I have moved into a more established position in my career I have tried to find ways to help others who may not have had the start I benefited from. I offer lessons at a sliding scale for anyone who wants them, and in particular try to give extra energy to kids, women, people of color, and the queer community.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
As a Scruggs-style banjo player, I have made a career predominantly not playing traditional bluegrass. I have been in a number of bands (Joy Kills Sorrow, the Bee Eaters, Molly Tuttle, the Sam Bush Band) all of which have approached acoustic music from a slightly obtuse angle. I have studied bluegrass banjo playing extensively however and use it as an anchor for much of what I do.
I released my first solo record of ten original instrumentals titled “Cascade” in 2020, featuring members of Punch Brothers, along with Sierra Hull and many others. This album represents 10 years of work on my part technically and compositionally and I feel very proud of how that music turned out!
I am currently half way done recording my sophomore solo album with a wide cast of players including Sam Bush, Darol Anger, Brittany Haas, Sierra Hull, Paul Kowert, Bryan Sutton, Bronwyn Keith Hynes, Mike Bub, Todd Phillips, Justin Moses, and Nashville native Casey Campbell.
What does success mean to you?
I have defined success in a number of ways over the years, and I think the answer to this question would have been very different in my early twenties.
The success I am currently seeking is a healthy balance of creative/inspiring music work and the free time to enjoy my life outside of my career. I love cooking, bird watching, and being home with my wife Courtney and our cat Jane.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.WesCorbett.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wesleycorbett/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wesley.c.corbett/
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2OkbDT2Do2fc1sRAUFedD8?si=DM7lelSwTQWesWaN9Um2hw
Image Credits
Kaitlyn Raitz
