What do Deadheads, bluegrass fans and rock ‘n’ rollers have in common? Billy Strings – arguably one of today’s most talented guitarists, vocalists and songwriters – is on their playlists.
Strings has intermingled bluegrass and psychedelic rock, fostering modern-day music fans’ appreciation for traditional bluegrass while creating a diverse fanbase.
Born William Apostol in Lansing, Michigan, Strings had a tumultuous upbringing filled with substance use disorder, familial conflicts and poverty. Strings was two-years-old when his biological father passed away from a heroin overdose. He was raised by his mother, Debra, and stepfather, Terry Barber.
His mother struggled with depression and maintaining a steady job, and the stress of financial insecurity created a home characterized by drug and alcohol use. Strings began experimenting with drugs and alcohol at a young age and struggled with substance use himself. However, he has been sober since his mid-20s.
Music was something that brought Strings’ family together through the dark cloud of substance use and poverty. His stepfather taught him how to play guitar and his mother enjoyed playing classic rock.
Strings refined his skills by listening to bluegrass legends like North Carolina native Doc Watson. Danny Platt, the director of the Doc and Rosa Lee Watson Music Festival in Sugar Grove, NC, said Watson’s influence is evident in Strings’ remarkable guitar playing abilities.
“It’s obvious, not just when he talks about it, but his style of guitar playing very closely resembles that of Doc,” Platt said.
At 20, Strings moved to Traverse City, Michigan, where he met Don Julin, a respected mandolin player. They developed a unique style that mixed jam-band “noodling” with traditional folk and bluegrass. After four years, Strings ventured to Nashville where he assembled a quartet and began writing original music.
His debut album, “Turmoil & Tinfoil,” quickly gained the media’s attention. He was regarded as a “bluegrass prodigy” by Rolling Stone, and the International Bluegrass Music Association named him the 2017 “Instrumentalist of the Year” at the Momentum Awards show, which took place in Raleigh.
Strings made appearances at some of the nation’s biggest music festivals, such as Merlefest and Lollapalooza, and performed alongside music legends like Sam Bush and Widespread Panic.
Strings’ musical style is multigenre — weaving folk, bluegrass and Americana with rock and roll, psychedelic rock and blues. Thanks to musical pioneers like him, traditional bluegrass and folk have been revived within the music scene, reaching an audience wider than ever before.
“Young people are noticing and paying attention to old bluegrass that had a bit of a dip in popularity,” Platt said.
Leslie Dare and Susan West are both retired NC State employees and current organizers for Wolfpack Pickers, a bluegrass jam open to any musicians affiliated with the university. They said many people who attend the jams are inspired by modern-day bluegrass musicians like Strings.
“I can’t count the number of times in the last five years that I’ve heard people mention Billy Strings as part of what got them juiced about getting more in-depth into bluegrass,” Dare said.
“You can definitely hear Watson’s playing in Billy’s playing, but he’s really done a great job of taking that forward and updating it so that he’s attracting new audiences,” West said.
Platt also explained how Strings’ hybridization of multiple genres has created a fanbase that sets him apart from other artists in the scene. Admiring the crowd at a Strings concert is almost as entertaining as the show itself.
“You will see the Deadheads spinning around, flowery shirts and tie-dye,” Platt said. “Then you can turn around and see a couple in their 80s sitting there or dancing.”
As a two-time winner of Americana Music Association’s “Artist of the Year” award, a two-time Grammy winner for “Best Bluegrass Album” and a recipient of seven International Bluegrass Music Association Awards, it’s safe to say that Strings has become a decorated musician.
Along with recording with numerous respected bluegrass musicians, Strings has also collaborated with artists from a wide array of other genres.
“Another thing he’s doing is hitting the mainstream, like Post Malone and these musicians that are so far away from bluegrass,” Platt said.
Strings has made invaluable contributions to the music industry through his dedication to preserving bluegrass and his innovative blends with modern sounds. There’s no telling what the future holds for the man with a once-in-a-lifetime talent.
“He’s putting out great music for us to appreciate and enjoy,” Dare said. “It’s just another part of the glue that holds together community music, and that’s always a wonderful thing.”
Strings has overcome major challenges and made a lasting impact in the music world. As he wrote in his song “In the Morning Light” — “Every now and then the past will ring a bell, I’m not looking back, I’m only moving forward.”
