Billy Strings Thought He Would “Wither Away or End up in Prison” Until He Found His Calling

Billy Strings has come a long way in the last few years. His songwriting and out-of-this-world guitar playing helped him become one of the biggest names in modern bluegrass. That opened doors to countless collaborations with artists ranging from Bob Weir to Zach Top and countless others. When he was growing up, he had no idea his musical talent could take him so far.

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Strings grew up playing bluegrass with his dad, Terry Barber. He started by learning to strum the rhythm parts before he got old enough to learn the lead lines. Before long, he was improvising, branching out stylistically, and stunning nearly everyone who heard him play. Despite his obvious talent, the “Taking Water” singer believed his life was going nowhere.

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Billy Strings Discusses His Ah-Ha Moment

Recently, Billy Strings sat down with Rick Beato to discuss his life, career, and love of bluegrass. During the conversation, he revealed that he never thought about making a living as a musician until he played in front of a small crowd at an open mic night.

“I honestly thought I would become a drug addict or wither away or end up in prison like a lot of my buddies did,” Strings said. “None of the adults around me presented my guitar playing as an option as a career path. It seemed so impossible where I was from,” he added.

“At some point, when I moved out of my hometown–I moved up to Traverse City, Michigan–I went to a couple open mic nights,” he recalled. “And I got a standing ovation. And they’re just like ‘Wooo!!’ and I was just like, ‘Whoa, maybe I should do this.’”

While living in Traverse City, Strings partnered with mandolin player Don Julin for a handful of releases and shows. Then, in 2017, he released his debut album Turmoil & Tinfoil. Two years later, he released the Grammy-winning album Home. Since then, his star has continued to rise. Now, he fills arenas and stadiums across the United States and still receives standing ovations from fans who have just had their minds blown by his performance.

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