Billy Strings (born William Lee Apostol, October 3, 1992) is an American guitarist and bluegrass musician. He won a

Grammy Award 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 ...

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, maki ...

. His father died of a heroin overdose when he was two and his mother remarried Terry Barber, an accomplished amateur bluegrass musician. Billy regards Barber as his father. The family moved to

Morehead, Kentucky Morehead is a home rule-class city located along US 60 (the historic Midland Trail) and Interstate 64 in Rowan County, Kentucky, in the United States. It is the seat of its county. The population was 6,845 at the time of the 2010 U.S. census. ...

, then to

Muir, Michigan Muir is a village in Lyons Township, Ionia County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 604 at the 2010 census. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , of which is land and is water ...

. While he was still a pre-teen his parents became addicted to methamphetamine. He left the family home at the age of thirteen and himself 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 Arthel Lane "Doc" Watson (March 3, 1923 – May 29, 2012) was an American guitarist, songwriter, and singer of bluegrass, folk, country, blues, and gospel music. Watson won seven Grammy awards as well as a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award ...

, 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 William Smith "Bill" Monroe (; September 13, 1911 – September 9, 1996) was an American mandolinist, singer, and songwriter, who created the bluegrass music genre. Because of this, he is often called the " Father of Bluegrass". The genre take ...

John Hartford John Cowan Hartford (December 30, 1937 – June 4, 2001) was an American folk, country, and bluegrass composer and musician known for his mastery of the fiddle and banjo, as well as for his witty lyrics, unique vocal style, and extensive k ...

Ralph Stanley Ralph Edmund Stanley (February 25, 1927 – June 23, 2016) was an American bluegrass artist, known for his distinctive singing and banjo playing. Stanley began playing music in 1946, originally with his older brother Carter Stanley as part of ...

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-fing ...

, and Larry Sparks. Strings is also a rock and

metal A metal (from Greek μέταλλον ''métallon'', "mine, quarry, metal") is a material that, when freshly prepared, polished, or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electricity and heat relatively well. Metals are typi ...

fan, influenced by Jimi Hendrix,

Johnny Winter John Dawson Winter III (February 23, 1944 – July 16, 2014) was an American singer and guitarist. Winter was known for his high-energy blues rock albums and live performances in the late 1960s and 1970s. He also produced three Grammy Award-win ...

Widespread Panic Widespread Panic is an American rock band from Athens, Georgia. The current lineup includes guitarist/singer John Bell, bassist Dave Schools, drummer Duane Trucks, percussionist Domingo "Sunny" Ortiz, keyboardist John "JoJo" Hermann, and g ...

Phish Phish is an American rock band formed in Burlington, Vermont, in 1983. The band is known for musical improvisation, extended Jam session#Rock, jams, blending of Music genre, genres, and a dedicated Fandom, fan base. The band consists of guitari ...

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 Def Leppard are an English rock band formed in 1976 in Sheffield. Since 1992, the band has consisted of Rick Savage (bass, backing vocals), Joe Elliott (lead vocals), Rick Allen (drums, backing vocals), Phil Collen (guitar, backing vocals) ...

Between the Buried and Me Between the Buried and Me, often abbreviated as BTBAM, is an American progressive metal band from Raleigh, North Carolina. Formed in 2000, the band consists of Tommy Giles Rogers Jr. (lead vocals, keyboards), Paul Waggoner (lead guitar, backi ...

, and

Black Sabbath Black Sabbath were an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. They are often cited as pioneers of heavy metal music. The band helped de ...

, 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)

In 2012, Don Julin, a mandolin player from

Traverse City, Michigan Traverse City ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the county seat of Grand Traverse County, although a small portion extends into Leelanau County. It is the largest city in the 21-county Northern Michigan region. The population wa ...

, and author of ''Mandolin For Dummies'', asked Strings to join him on a paying gig. The partnership lasted for the next four years. Billy Strings 2021 - 2

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its co ...

'' magazine named Strings one of the Top Ten New Country Artists to Know in 2017. On February 12, 2018, ''Rolling Stone'' published an article entitled "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 The International Bluegrass Music Association, or IBMA, is a trade association to promote bluegrass music. Formed in 1985, IBMA established its first headquarters in Owensboro, Kentucky. In 1988 they announced plans to create the International ...

awarded him with the 2016 Momentum Award for Instrumentalist of the year. ''Bluegrass Situation'' named him a scene tastemaker in 2016. Lisa Snedeker of ''

HuffPost ''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...

'' proclaimed ''Turmoil and 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, ''

'' released Strings' debut music video ''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 Frederick Dierks Bentley (; born November 20, 1975) is an American country music singer and songwriter. In 2003, he signed to Capitol Nashville and released his eponymous debut album. Both it and its follow-up, 2005's ''Modern Day Drifter'', a ...

, Del McCoury,

Bill Kreutzmann William Kreutzmann Jr. ( ; born May 7, 1946) is an American drummer and founding member of the rock band Grateful Dead. He played with the band for its entire thirty-year career, usually alongside fellow drummer Mickey Hart, and has continued to ...

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,

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 Reviva ...

, The Marcus King Band, Greensky Bluegrass, The Infamous Stringdusters,

The String Cheese Incident The String Cheese Incident (SCI) is an American jam band from Crested Butte and Telluride, Colorado, formed in 1993. The band is composed of Michael Kang (acoustic/electric mandolin, electric guitar, and violin), Michael Travis (drums and percu ...

, Leftover Salmon,

and more. He has performed at festivals including 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. Mus ...

, Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival,

Telluride Bluegrass Festival Telluride Bluegrass Festival is an annual music festival in Telluride, Colorado hosted by Planet Bluegrass. Although traditionally the festival focuses on bluegrass music, it often features music from a variety of related genres. History The tow ...

, John Hartford Memorial Festival, Aiken Bluegrass Festival, Appaloosa Music Festival,

Wheatland Music Festival The Wheatland Music Festival is a music and arts festival organized by the ''Wheatland Music Organization,'' a non-profit organization specializing in the preservation and presentation of traditional arts and music. Community outreach services in ...

, 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 The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of ed ...

musical TV programs

Austin City Limits ''Austin City Limits'' is an American live music television program recorded and produced by Austin PBS. The show helped Austin become widely known in the United States as the "Live Music Capital of the World", and is the only television show to ...

and '' Bluegrass Underground''. He has toured with Greensky Bluegrass, The Infamous Stringdusters, Leftover Salmon, , Cabinet and others. Billy Strings - 2021 3

In February 2017, Billy was named one of the six new rising stars of bluegrass by ''Acoustic Guitar'' magazine. He also collaborated with

Molly Tuttle Molly Rose Tuttle (born January 14, 1993) is an American vocalist, songwriter, banjo player and guitarist, recording artist and teacher in the bluegrass tradition, noted for her flatpicking, clawhammer, and crosspicking guitar prowess. She ha ...

on the songs "Sittin' on Top of the World" and "Billy in the Lowground." Strings-fls

In March 2018,

announced that Billy was to be the inaugural performer at the new cave for the renowned series Bluegrass Underground in the caverns of

Pelham, Tennessee Pelham is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Grundy County, Tennessee, United States. As of the 2010 census, its population was 403. Pelham is located at the junction of U.S. Route 41, State Route 2, and State Rout ...

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

In January 2019, ''

'' wrote an article entitled "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 ...

'' (produced and engineered by: Glenn Brown) under the label on September 27, 2019. It became his most successful release yet, reaching number one 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 Ame ...

charts. He also debuted 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 pres ...

for Best Bluegrass Album at the

63rd Annual Grammy Awards The 63rd Annual Grammy Awards ceremony was held in and around the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles on March 14, 2021. It recognized the best recordings, compositions, and artists of the eligibility year, running from September 1, 20 ...

. His touring band consists of Billy Failing (banjo), Royal Masat (bass), Jarrod Walker (mandolin), and Alex Hargreaves (fiddle). In 2021 he joined

's Billy & the Kids for a number of shows, along with James Casey (saxophone). As a solo artist he was inter alia part of the

Newport Folk Festival Newport Folk Festival is an annual American folk-oriented music festival in Newport, Rhode Island, which began in 1959 as a counterpart to the Newport Jazz Festival. It was one of the first modern music festivals in America, and remains a foc ...

in July 2021. On September 24, 2021, he released his third studio album, entitled '' Renewal''.

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

At the 2022

International Bluegrass Music Awards The International Bluegrass Music Awards is an award show for bluegrass music presented by the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA). Awards are voted based on professional membership in the IBMA. Award winners 2021 award winners The ...

, Strings was nominated for six awards. For the second straight year, He won for Entertainer of the 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 George Glenn Jones (September 12, 1931 – April 26, 2013) was an American country musician, singer, and songwriter. He achieved international fame for his long list of hit records, including his best-known song " He Stopped Loving Her Today", ...

, Hank Thompson, A.P. Carter, and others. The album is set for release on November 18. The same day as 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 The Americana Music Honors & Awards is the marquee event for the Americana Music Association. Beginning in 2002, the Americana Music Association honors distinguished members of the music community. Six member-voted awards and several Lifetime Ac ...

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 develo ...

to honor the best in Americana and American roots music. Strings has received three nominations. , - , 2020 , Emerging Artist of the Year , rowspan=3, 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 coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October 2021 coup in Sudan; Crowd shortly after t ...

, rowspan=2, 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; Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretariat; The global monkeyp ...

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 The Recording Academy (formally the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences; abbreviated NARAS) is an American learned academy of musicians, producers, recording engineers, and other musical professionals. It is famous for its Grammy A ...

. Strings has won 1 award from 3 nominations. , - ,

, rowspan=2, Best Bluegrass Album , ''

'' , , - , rowspan=2,

, '' Renewal'' , , - , Best American Roots Performance , " Love and Regret" ,

International Bluegrass Music Awards

The

are awarded annually by the

to honor the best in bluegrass. Strings has won six awards from 15 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" ,

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