Billy Strings (born William Lee Apostol, October 3, 1992) is an American guitarist and bluegrass musician. His album ''Home'' won the

Grammy Award for Best Bluegrass Album The Grammy Award for Best Bluegrass Album is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality works (songs or albums) in the bluegrass mu ...

in 2021.

Early life

Billy Strings was born William Lee Apostol on October 3, 1992, in

Lansing, Michigan Lansing () is the capital of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is mostly in Ingham County, although portions of the city extend west into Eaton County and north into Clinton County. The 2020 census placed the city's population at 112,644, making ...

. His father died of a heroin overdose when he was two and his mother remarried Terry Barber, an accomplished amateur bluegrass musician whom Strings regards as his father. The family later moved to Morehead, Kentucky, and then to Muir, Michigan. While he was still a preteen, his parents became addicted to methamphetamine. He left the family home at the age of 13 and went through a period of hard-drug usage. His family eventually achieved sobriety; Billy stopped using hard drugs and drinking alcohol. Barber was a heavy influence on his stepson, introducing him to traditional bluegrass artists at a young age, including Doc Watson, Del McCoury,

David Grisman David Grisman (born March 23, 1945) is an American mandolinist. His music combines bluegrass, folk, and jazz in a genre he calls "Dawg music". He founded the record label Acoustic Disc, which issues his recordings and those of other acoustic mu ...

, Bill Monroe, John Hartford, Ralph Stanley,

Earl Scruggs Earl Eugene Scruggs (January 6, 1924 – March 28, 2012) was an American musician noted for popularizing a three-finger banjo picking style, now called "Scruggs style", which is a defining characteristic of bluegrass music. His three-fin ...

and

Larry Sparks Larry Sparks (born September 25, 1947) is an American Bluegrass singer and guitarist. He was the winner of the 2004 and 2005 International Bluegrass Music Association Male Vocalist of the Year Award. 2005, won IBMA for Album of the Year and Re ...

. Strings is also a

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

and metal fan, influenced by

Jimi Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. Although his mainstream career spanned only four years, he is widely regarded as one of the most ...

, Johnny Winter, Widespread Panic,

Phish Phish is an American rock band formed in Burlington, Vermont, in 1983. The band is known for musical improvisation, extended jams, blending of genres, and a dedicated fan base. The band consists of guitarist Trey Anastasio, bassist Mike Gordon ...

Grateful Dead The Grateful Dead was an American rock music, rock band formed in 1965 in Palo Alto, California. The band is known for its eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, Folk music, folk, country music, country, jazz, bluegrass music, bluegrass, ...

, Def Leppard, Between the Buried and Me and Black Sabbath, and played in hard rock and indie rock bands in his teens. Apostol got his stage name, Billy Strings, from his aunt, who saw his ability on multiple traditional bluegrass instruments.

Career

Beginnings and ''Turmoil'' & ''Tinfoil'' (2012-2019)

111219 RelixPressDayNYC BillyStrings JFaatzMedia-2910

In 2012, Don Julin, a mandolin player from Traverse City, Michigan, and author of ''Mandolin for Dummies'', asked Strings to join him on a paying gig. The partnership lasted for the next four years. '' Rolling Stone'' named Strings one of the Top Ten New Country Artists to Know in 2017. On February 12, 2018, ''Rolling Stone'' published an article titled "Bluegrass Prodigy Billy Strings Plots 2018 Spring Tour", saying: "Billy Strings doesn't have any trouble living up to his name. e isone of the latest breakneck guitar pickers to emerge in the bluegrass world." The International Bluegrass Music Association awarded him with the Momentum Instrumentalist of the Year award in 2016. ''Bluegrass Situation'' named him a scene tastemaker in 2016. Lisa Snedeker of '' HuffPost'' proclaimed ''Turmoil & Tinfoil'' as one of the best albums of 2017, writing: "In September it charted at No. 3 on the Billboard Bluegrass charts. 'Nuff said." In March 2018, ''Rolling Stone'' released Strings' debut music video for his song "Dealing Despair" from his album ''Turmoil & Tinfoil''. He planned to play over 200 shows in 2018. He has been invited to play on stage with artists including Dierks Bentley, Del McCoury, Bill Kreutzmann,

Bob Weir Robert Hall Weir ( ; né Parber, born October 16, 1947) is an American musician and songwriter best known as a founding member of the Grateful Dead. After the group disbanded in 1995, Weir performed with The Other Ones, later known as The Dead ...

Larry Keel Larry Dwayne Keel (born November 25, 1968) is an American bluegrass musician from Southwest Virginia who has been performing since 1976. He was a founding member of Magraw Gap in 1990. He also performs with his wife, bassist Jenny Keel, in The L ...

Sam Bush Charles Samuel Bush (born April 13, 1952) is an American mandolinist who is considered an originator of progressive bluegrass music. In 2020, he was inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame as a member of New Grass Revival. ...

The Marcus King Band The Marcus King Band is a southern rock/blues band from South Carolina formed in 2013. History The band is led by guitarist Marcus King. Raised in Greenville, South Carolina, King was brought up on the blues, playing shows as a pre-teen side ...

Greensky Bluegrass Greensky Bluegrass is a five-piece American bluegrass jam band founded in Kalamazoo, Michigan in mid-2000. The band has evolved over the years, growing from 3 to 5 members, adding electric effects, and touring with a full light show. Partly becau ...

, The Infamous Stringdusters, The String Cheese Incident, Leftover Salmon, Widespread Panic and more. He has performed at festivals including Frankfort Bluegrass Festival (Frankfort, IL), Hookahville, Blue Ox, Pickathon, Merlefest, DelFest,

High Sierra Music Festival High Sierra Music Festival is a multi-day music festival held in Quincy, California, United States, a mountainous area about 80 miles northwest of Reno, Nevada. History The first High Sierra Music Festival was in 1991, and was the genesis of ...

Lollapalooza Lollapalooza (Lolla) is an annual American four-day music festival held in Grant Park in Chicago. It originally started as a touring event in 1991 but several years later made Chicago the permanent location for the annual music festival. Musi ...

, Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival, Telluride Bluegrass Festival, John Hartford Memorial Festival, Aiken Bluegrass Festival,

Appaloosa Music Festival Appaloosa Music Festival is an annual music festival based at the Skyline Ranch Resort, just a few miles from Front Royal, Virginia. Every year on Labor Day weekend, the festival celebrates the music of the Shenandoah Valley and related genres. H ...

, Wheatland Music Festival, Red Wing Roots Music Festival, Bristol Rhythm & Roots, Rooster Walk, French Broad River Festival, Makers Trail Festival, Under the Big Sky Festival and the All Good Presents 4848 Festival. At Grey Fox, he served as their very first artist in residence in 2017 and 2018. Strings has appeared on famous PBS musical TV programs '' Austin City Limits'' and ''

Bluegrass Underground ''Bluegrass Underground'' is a musical television show taped live at The Caverns in the base of Monteagle Mountain. From 2008 to 2018, it was held in Cumberland Caverns. In 2011, it became a nationally syndicated television show airing on PBS. The ...

''. He has toured with

, The Infamous Stringdusters, Leftover Salmon, , Cabinet and others. Of those bands he played with early in his career, he has cited Greensky Bluegrass specifically as a major influence and his "favorite band." Billy Strings by Jesse Faatz 2023

In February 2017, Strings was named one of the six new rising stars of bluegrass by ''Acoustic Guitar''. He also collaborated with Molly Tuttle on the songs "Sittin' on Top of the World" and "Billy in the Lowground". Strings-fls

In March 2018, PBS announced that Strings was to be the inaugural performer at the new cave for the renowned series ''

'' in the caverns of Pelham, Tennessee.

''Home'' and ''Renewal'' (2019-2021)

In January 2019, '' Rolling Stone'' wrote an article titled "Why Guitarist Billy Strings Is the Bluegrass Star You Don't Want to Miss." He was signed to

Rounder Records Rounder Records is an independent record label founded in 1970 in Somerville, Massachusetts by Marian Leighton Levy, Ken Irwin, and Bill Nowlin. Focused on American roots music, Rounder's catalogue of more than 3000 titles includes records by Al ...

in June 2019. Strings released his album ''

Home A home, or domicile, is a space used as a permanent or semi-permanent residence for one or many humans, and sometimes various companion animals. It is a fully or semi sheltered space and can have both interior and exterior aspects to it. H ...

'' (produced and engineered by Glenn Brown) under the label on September 27, 2019. It became his most successful release yet, reaching No. 1 on the

Heatseekers Albums Top Heatseekers are "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. The Heatseekers Albums and the Heatseekers Songs charts were introduced by ''Billboard'' in 1991 with the purpose of highlighting the sales by new an ...

and

Bluegrass Albums Bluegrass or Blue Grass may refer to: Plants * Bluegrass (grass), several species of grasses of the genus ''Poa'' **Kentucky bluegrass (''Poa pratensis''), one well-known species of the genus Arts and media * Bluegrass music, a form of Amer ...

charts, as well as debuting at No. 11 on the Emerging Artists Chart. On September 26, 2019, Billy Strings was voted the International Bluegrass Music Association Guitar Player of the Year in Raleigh, North Carolina. His album ''Home'' won the

Grammy The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...

for Best Bluegrass Album at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards. In 2021, he joined Bill Kreutzmann's Billy & the Kids for a number of shows, along with James Casey (saxophone). As a solo artist, he was part of the Newport Folk Festival in July 2021. On September 24, 2021, he released his third studio album, '' Renewal''.

''Me/And/Dad'' (2022-present)

Billy Strings' touring band was expanded from a quartet to a five piece when frequent guest fiddler Alex Hargreaves was asked to become a permanent member during a show in Baltimore on July 3, 2022. The band consists of Billy Failing (banjo), Royal Masat (bass), Jarrod Walker (mandolin) and Alex Hargreaves (fiddle). At the 2022 International Bluegrass Music Awards, Strings was nominated for six awards, winning Entertainer of the Year for the second consecutive year, while "Red Daisy" won Song of the Year. On October 3, 2022, Strings announced his forthcoming album ''Me/And/Dad'' is a project with his father Terry Barber. Though not his biological father, he is a father to Strings as he credits Barber with raising him: "Terry raised me and taught me how to wipe my ass, tie my shoes, and play guitar. That's my fucking dad." The album is a collection of traditional, country and bluegrass music from George Jones, Doc Watson, Hank Thompson,

A.P. Carter Alvin Pleasant Delaney Carter (December 15, 1891 – November 7, 1960) was an American musician and founding member of The Carter Family, one of the most notable acts in the history of country music. Biography Life A.P. Carter was born to Robe ...

and others, and is set for release on November 18, 2022. The same day the album was announced, "Long Journey Home" / " Life to Go" was released as a two-song single. Barber takes the lead vocal on the Jones-written song "Life to Go."

Discography

Albums

Studio albums

Collaborations

Extended plays

Singles

As lead artist

As featured artist

Music videos

Other appearances

Awards and nominations

Americana Music Awards

The Americana Music Honors & Awards are awarded annually by the

Americana Music Association The Americana Music Association is a not-for-profit trade organization advocating for American Roots Music around the world. It is a network for Americana artists, radio stations, record labels, publishers, and others with the goal of developi ...

to honor the best in Americana and American roots music. Strings has received two wins from four nominations. , - , 2020 , Emerging Artist of the Year , rowspan=4, Billy Strings , , - ,

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...

, rowspan=3, Artist of the Year , , - ,

2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...

, , - ,

2023 Events Predicted and scheduled events * January 1 ** In the United States, books, films, and other works published in 1927 will enter the public domain, assuming there are no changes made to copyright law. ** Croatia will adopt the eu ...

, ,

Grammy Awards

The

Grammy Awards The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

are awarded annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Strings has won 1 award from 3 nominations. , - ,

, rowspan=2,

Best Bluegrass Album The Grammy Award for Best Bluegrass Album is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality works (songs or albums) in the bluegrass m ...

, ''

'' , , - , rowspan=2,

, '' Renewal'' , , - ,

Best American Roots Performance The Grammy Award for Best American Roots Performance is an award category at the annual Grammy Awards. It was first presented in 2015. The award was first approved by the board of trustees of the Grammy Awards in June 2014. According to NARAS, th ...

, "

Love and Regret "Love and Regret" is the fourth single from the album ''When the World Knows Your Name'' by Scottish rock band Deacon Blue. The song was released on 4 September 1989. The main B-side of the single is "Down in the Flood", while some versions of t ...

" ,

International Bluegrass Music Awards

The International Bluegrass Music Awards are awarded annually by the International Bluegrass Music Association to honor the best in bluegrass. Strings has won seven awards from 16 nominations. , - , rowspan=2, 2019 , New Artist of the Year , rowspan=4, Billy Strings , , - , rowspan=2, Guitar Player of the Year , , - , rowspan=4, 2020 , , - , Entertainer of the Year , , - , Album of the Year , ''

'' , , - , Instrumental Recording of the Year , " Guitar Peace" , , - , rowspan=3, 2021 , Guitar Player of the Year , rowspan=6, Billy Strings , , - , Instrumental Group of the Year , , - , rowspan=2, Entertainer of the Year , , - , rowspan=6, 2022 , , - , Guitar Player of the Year , , - , Instrumental Group of the Year , , - , Album of the Year , '' Renewal'' , , - , Song of the Year , " Red Daisy" , , - , Instrumental Recording of the Year , " Ice Bridges" , , - , rowspan=1, 2023 , Entertainer of the Year , rowspan=4, Billy Strings ,

References

External links

Official website
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Strings, Billy Living people 1992 births Grammy Award winners Rounder Records artists American country rock singers American country singer-songwriters American bluegrass musicians Country musicians from Michigan