Keith McGuffey, known by his stage name Trey D., is a singer and songwriter who became known mostly for his Euro-rap style songs in the mid-1990s. He is also co-founder of a music academy called The Music Workshop, with Kevin Richardson, in Louisville, Kentucky.
Early life
Keith McGuffey was born on April 10, 1972 in Danville, Kentucky, to his mother, a bakery worker, and father, a taxi driver. He's the youngest of four older sisters, who named him after Keith Partridge of the TV seriesThe Partridge Family in 1972. As a kid, he was known for break-dancing skills. To this day, he can still windmill. He started writing songs when he was only nine years old. His musical influences include L.L. Cool J, New Edition and old-school R&B when he was younger, his first concert was Van Halen and even met best friendKevin Scott Richardson when he was 12 in 1985 at Cathedral Domain Camp, a church-owned youth camp his father ran. they both played piano and wrote their first song together, some of which were eventually used for the Backstreet Boys' first demos. they have been best friends ever since. After graduating high school, he attended the University of Kentucky for two years, then joined the U.S.Navy and was stationed in Little Creek, VA. After served in the U.S. Navy, He went back to college and graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration-Management.
Career
McGuffey started working as the manager of a TCBY store before He got his record deal when after Kevin invited him down to Orlando for a visit. When he got down there, he auditioned for the Transcontinental Records folks and got a record deal. While perfecting his act, Keith working and toured Europe for the Backstreet Boys in 1995 as a bodyguard and working as a recording artist in the 1990s under his stage name Trey D. As Trey D., he opened up for the Backstreet Boys and NSYNC on some of their first tours. He wrote and performed all of his own songs, including his singles, which were very successful in Europe and Asia. He even wrote AJ's rap on the band's hit single "Get Down " and Aaron Carter's album. He once lived in Germany and considers it as his second home.
Singing
Apart from his solo career and songwriting contributions he also provided vocals for Centory's "Girl You Know It's True". His first solo single was "Higher and Higher", followed by "Mirror Mirror", which was written by Gary Carolla and himself, composed by Carolla and mixed in Orlando, Florida. The additional vocals were done by Shawn Fisher. The single was co-produced by Johnny Wright and Gary Carolla. His third single was "Can't Wait Until Tomorrow". In 1999, Trey D released a self-titled album under Edel Records.
Post-singing career
After touring the world and US as an opening act for both the Backstreet Boys and 'N Sync, McGuffey decided to stop as an entertainer and become a player behind the scenes. He created two songs that the Backstreet Boys recorded and released on their album Black and Blue. He has a joint venture with Sony/ATV in New York that allows him to develop aspiring songwriters and is also a founding partner in Avenue 3 Music, a production company that develops artists for recording deals. McGuffey is currently writing and producing songs for various artists and recording and developing local talent in Louisville. McGuffey and his longtime friend, Kevin Richardson, wanted to give back to their home state and surrounding areas and provide aspiring artists, musicians, songwriters, producers and engineers the foundation and necessary tools that are essential to succeeding in the music industry. This dream led them to The Music Workshop, a comprehensive company that would educate and guide aspiring musical artists through workshops, personal consulting, and professional demo recording.
Personal life
McGuffey has been married to Julie, an IP and attorney, since December 30, 2001. The couple have two children, Kylie and Connor Jackson.
