Billy Strings

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Billy Strings
Billy Strings 2021.jpg
Strings in 2021
Background information
Birth nameWilliam Apostol
Born (1992-10-03) October 3, 1992 (age 29)
Lansing, Michigan, U.S.
Genres
Instruments
  • Guitar
  • vocals
  • banjo
  • mandolin
Years active2013–present
LabelsRounder
Associated acts
WebsiteOfficial website

Billy Strings (born William Apostol, October 3, 1992) is an American Grammy Award–winning guitarist and bluegrass musician.[1]

Early life[]

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, Phish, Grateful Dead, Def Leppard, 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]

Career[]

In 2012, Don Julin, a mandolin player from Traverse City, Michigan, and author of Mandolin For Dummies, asked him 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, 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 & 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 Kruetzmann'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 fifth studio album, entitled Renewal.[30][31]

Discography[]

Billy Strings discography
Studio albums3
Compilation albums3
Music videos6
EPs2
Singles7
As featured artist1
Collaboration albums2

Albums[]

Studio albums[]

Title Album details Peak chart position Sales
US
[32] 		US
Country
[33] 		US
Folk
[34] 		US
Grass
[35] 		US
Heat.
[36]
Turmoil and Tinfoil[37]
  • Released: September 22, 2017
  • Label: Apostol Recording Company
  • Format: Digital download, streaming
 — — — 3 18
Home[27]
  • Released: September 27, 2019
  • Label: Rounder
  • Format: Digital download, streaming
 — 41 11 1 1
Renewal[39]
  • Released: September 24, 2021
  • Label: Rounder
  • Format: Digital download,
 82 9 4 1 —
"—" denotes single that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Collaborations[]

Title Album details
Rock of Ages
(with Don Julin)
Fiddle Tune X[40]
(with Don Julin)
  • Released: October 1, 2014
  • Label: Self-released
  • Format: Digital download

Extended plays[]

Title Album details Peak chart position
US
Grass
[35]
Billy Strings - EP
  • Released: June 10, 2016
  • Label: Self-released
  • Format: CD, digital download, streaming
 —
Billy Strings | An OurVinyl Sessions
  • Released: 2018
  • Label: N/A
  • Format: Digital download, streaming
 10

Singles[]

As lead artist[]

Title Year Album
"All the Luck in the World"
(with Circles Around the Sun) 		2020 Highway Butterfly: The Songs of Neal Casal
"The Great Divide
(with Luke Combs) 		2021 Non-album singles
"Wargasm
(featuring RMR)
"Midnight on the Stormy Deep"
(with Del McCoury)
"Globe"
(with Fences)
"Fire Line" Renewal
"In the Morning Light"

As featured artist[]

Title Year Album
"Charm School"
(Béla Fleck featuring Chris Thile and Billy Strings) 		2021 My Bluegrass Heart

Music videos[]

Year Title Album
2019 "Away From the Mire" Home
"Must Be Seven"
2020 "Watch It Fall"
2021 "In the Morning Light" Renewal
"Heartbeat of America"
2022 "Love and Regret"

References[]

  1. ^ a b c "10 New Country Artists You Need to Know: August 2017". Rolling Stone. August 8, 2017. Retrieved January 31, 2018.
  2. ^ a b "The Amazing Billy Strings". Northern Express.
  3. ^ "Watch Billy Strings Crush Garcia & Grisman's "Dreadful Wind & Rain"". liveforlivemusic.com. March 23, 2018.
  4. ^ "Midwestern Gentleman - Keep Stringin': The Billy Strings Interview".
  5. ^ "Billy Strings: Just Beginning An Already Wild Ride". NPR. Archived from the original on May 19, 2011. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
  6. ^ "JUMPING INTO THE DEEP END: A CONVERSATION WITH BILLY STRINGS". The Bluegrass Situation.
  7. ^ "Billy Strings Is A Fascinatingly Unpredictable Performer". Greenville Journal.
  8. ^ "Bluegrass Prodigy Billy Strings Plots 2018 Spring Tour". rollingstone.com.
  9. ^ a b c "Crossover Touring". crossovertouring.com.
  10. ^ "Year in Review: Favorite musical picks for 2017". Huffington Post.
  11. ^ "See Bluegrass Shredder Billy Strings Call Out Violent Culture in 'Dealing Despair' Video". Rolling Stone.
  12. ^ "Steeped in versatility, Billy Strings Keeps Returning to His Bluegrass Roots". Daily Progress.
  13. ^ "WMOT Fundraiser: An Evening with Dierks Bentley". wmot.org.
  14. ^ "Greensky Bluegrass Collaborate with Sam Bush and Billy Strings in Nashville". Jambands.com.
  15. ^ "Marcus King & Billy Strings To Team For 'King & Strings' Set At Rooster Walk". Jambase.com.
  16. ^ "The Infamous Stringdusters, Fruition, & More To Bring The Pickin' To Aiken Bluegrass Festival". liveforlivemusic.com.
  17. ^ "John Hartford Memorial Festival - Previous Lineup History". hartfordfest.com. Retrieved June 2, 2018.
  18. ^ "Lineup". delfest.com.
  19. ^ "2018 Lineup". greyfoxbluegrass.com.
  20. ^ "Cave Concert Venue Gives New Meaning to Underground Music Scene". NY Post.
  21. ^ "Greensky Bluegrass & Billy Strings Take Manhattan". Jambase.
  22. ^ "Next-Gen Pickers: 6 Rising Stars are Carrying on the Bluegrass Tradition by Making It Their Own". Acoustic Guitar.
  23. ^ "First Look: Bluegrass Underground's New Home The Caverns". The Tennessean.
  24. ^ "Music and Magic in the Pelham Valley". The Grundy County Herald.
  25. ^ "Why Guitarist Billy Strings Is the Bluegrass Star You Don't Want to Miss". Rolling Stone.
  26. ^ Lawless, John (June 25, 2019). "Billy Strings to Rounder Records". Bluegrass Today.
  27. ^ a b Woodward, Garret K. (October 2, 2019). "Billy Strings Talks His Brand of Bluegrass, New Album 'Home'". Rolling Stone.
  28. ^ Zellne, Xander (October 9, 2019). "Billy Strings, Dayseeker and Temples Debut On Emerging Artists Chart". Billboard.
  29. ^ "Newport Folk Festival stage schedule 2021". newportfolk.org. Retrieved September 21, 2021.
  30. ^ "New album #RENEWAL out September 24. Preorder now".
  31. ^ "Grammy Winning Bluegrass Artist Billy Strings Has A New Album". Retrieved September 28, 2021.
  32. ^ "Billy Strings Chart History: Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
  33. ^ "Billy Strings Chart History: Country Albums". Billboard. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
  34. ^ "Billy Strings Chart History: Americana/Folk Albums". Billboard. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
  35. ^ a b "Billy Strings Chart History: Bluegrass Albums". Billboard. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
  36. ^ "Billy Strings Chart History: Heatseekers Albums". Billboard. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
  37. ^ "Turmoil & Tinfoil track debut from Billy Strings - Bluegrass Today". July 27, 2017.
  38. ^ Bjorke, Matt (March 10, 2020). "Top 10 Country Albums Pure Sales Chart: March 9, 2020". RoughStock. Retrieved March 22, 2020.
  39. ^ "Renewal [Explicit]".
  40. ^ "Fiddle Tune X". Amazon.

External links[]

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