BIOGRAPHY
GRAMMY Award-winning singer, songwriter and musician Billy Strings released his highly anticipated new record, Highway Prayers, today via Reprise Records. Listen/share here. In conjunction with the release, an album-length lyric video is also out now. Watch/share here.
Produced by Strings and Jon Brion (Fiona Apple, Mac Miller, Aimee Mann), Highway Prayers consists of 20 original songs including the previously released tracks “Seven Weeks in County,” “Stratosphere Blues / I Believe In You” and “Leadfoot.” Already receiving critical attention, Strings recently spoke with GQ for an in-depth profile, where he is hailed as “the hottest roots-music phenomenon in decades.” Additionally, American Songwriter praises, “Strings is one of, if not the most, imaginative artists currently playing the game…a masterpiece of the 21st-century version of counter-culture.”
Showcasing his electrifying concerts, the record features Strings performing some of his most beloved songs—including “Dust in a Baggie,” “Away From The Mire,” and “Turmoil & Tinfoil”—recorded at venues around the world including Paris’ La Cigale, Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium, Austin’s Moody Center, Atlanta’s State Farm Arena and more.
Recorded in Los Angeles and Nashville, Highway Prayers features Strings and his longtime band —Billy Failing (banjo, vocals), Royal Masat (bass, vocals), Jarrod Walker (mandolin, vocals) and Alex Hargraves (fiddle) —as well as additional contributions from Brion (bass, drums, percussion), Matt Chamberlain (drums), Jerry Douglas (dobro), Jason Carter (fiddle), Lindsay Lou (backing vocals), Nathaniel Smith (cello), Taneka Samone (backing vocals), Cory Henry (piano), Peter “Madcat” Ruth (harmonica, jaw harp) and Victor Furtado (clawhammer banjo).
Raised in Michigan and now based in Nashville, Strings is known as one of music’s most compelling artists. The new studio album follows the recent release of Strings’ first live album, Billy Strings Live Vol. 1 (stream/purchase here), which debuted at #1 on Billboard’s Bluegrass Albums chart. Showcasing his electrifying concerts, the record features Strings performing some of his most beloved songs—including “Dust in a Baggie,” “Away From The Mire,” and “Turmoil & Tinfoil” —recorded at venues around the world including Paris’ La Cigale, Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium, Austin’s Moody Center, Atlanta’s State Farm Arena and more.
Strings’ latest full-length album, Me/And/Dad, which features Strings alongside his dad, Terry Barber, was released in 2022 and earned a nomination for Best Bluegrass Album at this year’s GRAMMY Awards. The product of a longtime dream, Me/And/Dad consists of new versions of fourteen bluegrass and country classics that the two have been playing together since Strings was a young child.
Since his 2017 debut, Strings has been awarded Best Bluegrass Album at the 63rd GRAMMY Awards, Artist of the Year at the 2023 and 2022 Americana Music Awards, Entertainer of the Year at the 2023, 2022 and 2021 International Bluegrass Music Awards, Best New Headliner at the 2022 Pollstar Awards and Breakthrough Artist of the Pandemic at the 2021 Pollstar Awards among several other accolades. He has also performed on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” “Jimmy Kimmel Live!,” PBS’ “Austin City Limits” and “Bluegrass Underground” as well as countless sold-out shows worldwide.
PRESS
“A premier bluegrass mind for this post-everything era…he has zigged and zagged between the form’s antediluvian traditions and rapid-fire improvisations that hit like hard bop, all within songs with hooks so sharp that he seems poised for crossover stardom.” —The New York Times
“In addition to some dazzling picking from Strings and his bandmates, there’s a heaviness to the chord progressions and lyrics that speaks to his love of metal.” —Rolling Stone
“Strings’ high level of musicianship and lyrical sincerity are the kind that defies the boundaries of time and genre.” —Spin
“Calling Renewal a remarkable work doesn’t even begin to describe “Billy Strings is an unparalleled talent… continue to show the direction bluegrass can go, offering multiple paths full of promise, beauty, and explosive joy” —No Depression
“At this point it’s safe to start including Strings among the pioneers of bluegrass - that is if you still consider his music strictly bluegrass. With one foot firmly planted in tradition and the other carving out uncharted territory with high class musicianship and a knack for experimentation, there’s no doubt that Strings is going to continue taking bluegrass music to dizzy new heights.” -Holler
ASSETS
Download promotional assets HERE