Fresh Air · 2026-09-25 · 51 min · 7,667 words

Bluegrass virtuoso Billy Strings

Listen to the original audio · Transcribed with NVIDIA Parakeet · Timestamps stay in sync with the live audio

Hey, how are you feeling right now? Exhausted from the summer? Overwhelmed with the new school year? Restless? Anxious?

LifeKit is here to help. Consider us your mental health accountability buddy with episodes on everything from navigating social anxiety to unlearning perfectionism. Listen to the LifeKit podcast in the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts. This is Fresh Air, I'm David Biancooley. Today, singer, songwriter, and guitarist Billy Strings.

He's one of the younger generation of musicians carrying the torch for traditional acoustic bluegrass, even as his music incorporates exploratory improvisational jams and the occasional heavy metal guitar riff. He's been celebrated by both audiences and the music industry. His concerts fill huge arenas, and he's won three Grammys. Highway Prayers, released in 2024, is the first bluegrass album in over 20 years to reach number one on Billboard's all genre top 100 album sales chart. That album showcases the songwriting of Billy Strings and his terrific band.

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