Billy Strings

Born: 03 October 1992

Age:

Years Active: 2013-present

Genre/s: Bluegrass, progressive bluegrass, Americana, roots rock, outlaw country, jam band, psychedelia

Label/s: Rounder, Reprise

William Lee Apostol (born October 3, 1992), known by the stage name Billy Strings, is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, and bluegrass musician. Three of his albums, Home, Live Vol. 1, Highway Prayers, have won the Grammy Award for Best Bluegrass Album in 2021, 2025, and 2026 respectively.

Billy Strings was born William Lee Apostol on October 3, 1992, in Lansing, Michigan. His biological father died of a heroin overdose when he was two, and his mother remarried Terry Barber, an accomplished amateur bluegrass musician, whom Strings regards as his father. The family later moved to Morehead, Kentucky, and then to Muir, Michigan. While he was still a preteen, his parents became addicted to methamphetamine. Billy left the family home at the age of 13 and went through a period of hard drug use. His family eventually achieved sobriety; Billy stopped using hard drugs and alcohol, consuming only cannabis and other "light drugs" (e.g., psychedelics).

Barber was a heavy influence on his stepson, introducing him to traditional bluegrass artists at a young age, including Doc Watson, Del McCoury, David Grisman, Bill Monroe, John Hartford, Ralph Stanley, Earl Scruggs, and Larry Sparks. Strings is also a rock and metal fan, influenced by Jimi Hendrix, Johnny Winter, Black Sabbath, Widespread Panic, Phish, the Grateful Dead, Pearl Jam, Primus, Def Leppard, Between the Buried and Me, and Cryptopsy, and played in hard rock and indie rock bands in his teens.

Apostol got his stage name, Billy Strings, from his aunt, who saw his ability on multiple traditional bluegrass instruments.