Billy Strings

Billy Strings was born William Apostol on October 3, 1992, in Lansing, Michigan and raised in Morehead, Kentucky, before his family moved to Muir, Michigan.[2] His stepfather, Terry Barber, was a picker in the Michigan bluegrass scene, although he never played professionally. Barber was a heavy influence on his son, introducing him to traditional bluegrass at a young age.[1] Bill's stepfather introduced him to the music of Doc Watson, Del McCoury, David Grisman,[3] Bill Monroe, John Hartford, Ralph Stanley, Earl Scruggs, and Larry Sparks.[4][5] Strings is also a rock and metal fan, influenced by Jimi Hendrix, Johnny Winter, Widespread Panic, Phish, Grateful Dead, Def Leppard, Between the Buried and Me, and Black Sabbath, and played in hard rock and indie rock bands in his teens.[2][6]

Apostol got his moniker, Billy Strings, from his aunt, who saw his ability on multiple traditional bluegrass instruments.[7]

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.

Photo by Jesse Faatz (September 2021)

Rolling Stone magazine named Strings one of the Top Ten New Country Artists to Know in 2017.[1] 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. [He is] one of the latest breakneck guitar pickers to emerge in the bluegrass world."[8] The International Bluegrass Music Association awarded him with the 2016 Momentum Award for Instrumentalist of the year.[9] Bluegrass Situation named him a scene tastemaker in 2016.[9] Lisa Snedeker of HuffPost 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.".[10] In March 2018, Rolling Stone released Strings' debut music video Dealing Despair from his album Turmoil & Tinfoil.[11] He planned to play over 200 shows in 2018.[12]

He has been invited to play on stage with artists including Dierks Bentley,[13] Del McCoury, Bill Kreutzmann, Bob Weir, David Grisman, Larry Keel, Sam Bush,[14] The Marcus King Band,[15] Greensky Bluegrass, The Infamous Stringdusters,[16] The String Cheese Incident, Leftover Salmon, Widespread Panic and more. He has performed at festivals including Hookahville, Blue Ox, Pickathon, Merlefest, DelFest, High Sierra Music Festival, Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival, Telluride Bluegrass Festival, John Hartford Memorial Festival,[17] Aiken Bluegrass Festival, Appaloosa Music Festival, 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.[18][19] Strings has appeared on famous PBS musical TV programs Austin City Limits and Bluegrass Underground.[20] He has toured with Greensky Bluegrass, The Infamous Stringdusters, Leftover Salmon, I'm With Her, Cabinet and others.[9][21]

Photo by Jesse Faatz (2021)

In February 2017, Billy was named one of the six new rising stars of bluegrass by Acoustic Guitar magazine.[22] He also collaborated with Molly Tuttle on the songs "Sittin' on Top of the World" and "Billy in the Lowground."

Strings at Bristol Rhythm and Roots Festival, 2017

In March 2018, PBS 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.[23][24]

In January 2019, Rolling Stone wrote an article entitled "Why Guitarist Billy Strings Is the Bluegrass Star You Don't Want to Miss."[25] He was signed to Rounder Records in June 2019.[26] Strings released his album, Home (produced and engineered by: Glenn Brown) under the label on September 27, 2019.[27] It became his most successful release yet, reaching number one on the Heatseekers Albums and Bluegrass Albums charts. He also debuted at No. 11 on the Emerging Artists Chart.[28] 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 for Best Bluegrass Album at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards.

His touring band consists of Billy Failing (banjo), Royal Masat (bass), and Jarrod Walker (mandolin).

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 inter alia part of the Newport Folk Festival in July 2021.[29] On September 24, 2021, he released his third studio album, entitled Renewal.[30][31]

• Official website