Billy Strings has taken the bluegrass world by storm for nearly a decade now, thanks to his insatiable picking and ability to mix traditional sounds with jam, punk, metal, rock, and high and lonesome hollerin'. The recipe has proved fruitful for Strings thus far, drawing in a legion of fans who've gone from packing small clubs to filling arenas to see him perform.
But circumstances weren't always in the Michigander's favor. Born William Apostol, Strings lost his father to a heroin overdose when he was 2, leading to an unstable upbringing that later saw him leave home when his mom and then stepfather, Terry Barber, became addicted to methamphetamine, kickstarting his own period of hard drug usage.
Both eventually achieved varying levels of sobriety, and Strings would develop a bond with Barber through bluegrass music and the introduction to artists like Bill Monroe, Del McCoury, John Hartford, and others that would go on to inform his own sound years later. That influence would come full-circle in 2022, when Strings teamed up with Barber to release Me/And/Dad, a GRAMMY-nominated compilation of stripped-down covers of classics like George Jones' "Life to Go" and Doc Watson's "Way Downtown."
A decade before that release, Strings found another pivotal collaborator in mandolinist Don Julin, with whom the guitar star released two albums, 2013's Rock of Ages and 2014's Fiddle Tune X. The pair toured together for over four years until Strings parted ways in 2016, releasing his debut solo EP Billy Strings that same year.
From there, Strings Fever began spreading through the bluegrass community and the festival circuit like wildfire, which helped him land his first charting album with 2017's Turmoil & Tinfoil. The project also marked a departure from the traditional sounds littered on his EP, opting instead for a mix of trippy pedals and extended jams often reserved for live shows to bring it to life.
The line between Strings' alter egos was blurred even more with his next two (and most successful) collections to date in 2019's Home and 2021's Renewal. Both went onto be recognized at the GRAMMYs — with Home winning Best Bluegrass Album and Renewal earning a nomination in the same Category — helping raise Strings' profile even more while also introducing him to a more mainstream audience, which would eventually lead to collaborations with Willie Nelson, Post Malone and other stars.
He'll look to continue blurring those lines on his forthcoming album, Highway Prayers, a 20-song blitzkrieg that sees him again at work with his longtime bandmates — Billy Failing (banjo, vocals), Royal Masat (bass, vocals), Jarrod Walker (mandolin, vocals), and Alex Hargraves (fiddle) — alongside bluegrass all-stars like Jerry Douglas, Jason Carter and producer Jon Brion. Ahead of its release, listen to five essential songs from Strings to get acclimated to his heady, hard-driving sound.
Written in 2012 when he was only 19, "Dust In A Baggie" is a bluegrass banger that recounts a friend's methamphetamine addiction amid a backdrop of Strings' signature frenetic flatpicking guitar. The song quickly became a fan favorite upon its inclusion in 2016's Billy Strings EP and continues to remain a centerpiece of his live shows eight years later. "Dust" also helped propel him to winning Instrumentalist Of The Year at the 2016 International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA)'s Momentum Awards, his first major award.
Strings reflects on days left behind — and the pain he still feels from them — on the grounding "Meet Me At The Creek." A marathon of a tune from his full-length debut, Turmoil & Tinfoil, the song serves as one of the best examples yet of how Strings merges together the worlds of traditional and progressive bluegrass with heady Grateful Dead-esque jams.
With its imagery of lounging creekside and letting the "muddy water take my pain away," the song also displays the duality of Strings during a time when he was relentless on the road, playing over 200 shows per year — a sacrifice that no doubt laid the foundation for his future success.
The lead track from Strings' GRAMMY-winning album Home, "Taking Water" uses metaphor to compare marginalized groups in society ("neighborhoods left to decay, people died or walked away") to a boat taking on water before urging listeners that there's still "time to turn the wheel around" in what is one of his most personal songs to date. The acoustic, rock-driven number also references small towns in his native Michigan and beyond — like Flint with its years-long struggle for clean water — that help it deliver on a feeling of home, appropriate given it's on a record by the same name. But most importantly, it's a song of empathy that poetically illustrates the struggles of regular people just trying to get by, and how music like Strings' can help bring attention to those issues.
One of Strings' more traditional bluegrass songs, "Know It All" sees the singer's humility come front and center; he sings about thinking he had everything figured out before being humbled and realizing he doesn't and never will. This leaves him to "learn from my mistakes and try to pick up all the pieces" so he can turn "into someone I can trust, 'fore I turn back into dust," embodying the wisdom of an old soul similar to 2019's "Taking Water," one of his many songs penned with Jon Weisberger.
It's also a tune that's taught Strings how to be more present in life — especially with his fans — something that's paid dividends for him on his climb to the top of the bluegrass world. That consciousness and appreciation distilled within would go on to help lift the song's parent LP, Renewal, to a nomination at the 64th annual GRAMMYs, further cementing it as one of his most beloved and relatable tracks.
Over the years, Strings has become synonymous with collaboration, both on stage at concerts and in the studio. His best example of the latter to date came when he teamed up with country music icon Willie Nelson to sing about each of their favorite pastimes, smoking marijuana, on the tongue-in-cheek "California Sober."
The ditty brings together Nelson's harmonica and pedal steel-driven honky tonk flare with Strings' fiery flatpicking in a passing of the torch (or joint?) moment that earned a nomination for Best American Roots Song at the 66th GRAMMY Awards. It's just one of many examples of how Strings' prowess as an artist and performer is impactful to listeners and superstars alike — and Highway Prayers will undoubtedly further cement his legacy as one of bluegrass' greats.