![An open guitar body that has not yet been assembled resting on a worktable.](/sites/default/files/styles/recipient_large/public/managed/images/recipient/2023-12/Trey%20Upchurch.JPG.webp?itok=6VYjHTdu)
Recipient Information
Location
Jamestown, Tennessee
Medium
Luthier
Year of Award
2024
Grant or Fellowship
Emerging Traditional Artists Program
Grant Amount
$5,000
Oscar "Trey" Upchurch III is a luthier from Jamestown, Tennessee. Trey was raised around bluegrass music and hand-built instruments, but only recently developed a passion for luthiery. Trey builds hand-crafted guitars and other Appalachian stringed instruments that he learned from his father Butch Hodgekins, a well-known Tennessee luthier. Trey is committed to preserving his methods by combining them with professional training from other experts in the field.