Rob Ickes and Trey Hensley began their collaboration long after Rob Ickes had established himself as a premier instrumentalist, collecting the Dobro Player of the Year Award from the International Bluegrass Music Association fifteen times while also winning two Grammys.
Born in California, Ickes moved to Nashville, and in 1994 was a founding member of Blue Highway and remained with the band for 21 years
During this time, Ickes released several solo albums and was a founder of a jazz leaning Jamgrass band, Three Ring Circle. His solo recordings are known for including many genres in the song selections as well as bringing together musicians from many different backgrounds.
Ickes was ready for a change after more than two decades with Blue Highway, and Trey Hensley’s move to Nashville offered the opportunity. The pair met when Hensley performed a stand-in vocal for a Blue Highway session. Ickes was impressed and since he had already recorded albums on his own while in Blue Highway, proposed to Hensley that they record.
The chemistry was good. Ickes left Blue Highway to focus on Rob Ickes and Trey Hensley. In a fortunate turn, about a month after the announcement the pair received a Grammy nomination for their first album. This made it much easier for the new duo to book shows and gain exposure.
