Billy Strings Doubles Down on Bluegrass In Big Speech

Fans of bluegrass and of Billy Strings have always been on a little bit of an edge, just waiting for the moment when he hits the overdrive pedal on his acoustic guitar, and never flips it back, or leaps into some extended acid rock jam and never returns to the roots of bluegrass. Purists, traditionalists, and just plain advocates for country and bluegrass are used to having their hearts broken and their expectations dashed by performers.

But that won’t be the case for Billy Strings. Simply his participation in this week’s International Bluegrass Music Association (or IBMA) World of Bluegrass festivities speaks to his commitment to the genre, even as he sells out arenas coast to coast, including some of them on multiple nights like he will Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena Feb. 20th and 21st in newly announced dates. But he’ll also continue his tradition of playing the Ryman Auditorium on the same run, and to play traditional bluegrass specifically at country’s Mother Church.

On Thursday evening (9-18), Billy Strings walked away with the coveted Entertainer of the Year at the IBMA Awards once again. Other big winners included Jason Carter and Michael Cleveland’s Carter & Cleveland for Album of the Year, and Song of the Year for “Outrun The Rain.” Authentic Unlimited won Vocal Group of the Year, Red Camel Collective as New Artist of the Year, Mountain Grass Unit as the Momentum Band of the Year, Trey Hensley as Guitar Player of the Year, and Sierra Hull as Mandolin Player of the Year. You can see all the winners at the bottom.

But one of the biggest conversation pieces from the entire event was the keynote address Billy Strings gave the night before, on Wednesday (9-18). Again, Strings has probably moved beyond having to worry about awards, industry conferences, and speaking engagements to get butts in seats. At this point, he’s doing it from love, commitment, and the importance he feels as a leader in the bluegrass industry.

“Growing up immersed in this music has been one of the best experiences of my entire life. As a child, I witnessed all the joy a Martin guitar can bring when it’s in the right hands, and the b string’s in tune,” Billy Strings said. “Doc [Watson] became my biggest hero, with his wavy silver, and fingers effortlessly dancing up and down the fretboard like a frolicking feather in a gentle breeze.”

Billy Strings talked about his earliest experiences with bluegrass, from the back porch of his little trailer house in rural Michigan, to going to his first bluegrass festival and seeing stars of the subgenre.

“It can be a powerful medicine. That’s probably why I never stopped playing,” Strings explained. “All through elementary school, high school, middle school, music was my best friend, my survival tactic, my coping mechanism, and it became my social currency, which it very music still is. Deep down I’ve always been a bluegrass musician at heart, despite veering off into a few rock bands and heavy metal projects that didn’t quite stick. I was instinctively guided back to my roots, and my electric guitar now collects dust.”

Strings explained that even though metal and other genres intrigued him,

“It just didn’t give me that Deja vu that bluegrass does. It didn’t give me that feeling that could make me laugh, or cry, or bring me back to my childhood before I knew anything dirty about the Earth. I realized that bluegrass is where my heart and soul is, and from that point I decided to go back to it, and here I have stayed.”

This drew applause from the IBMA crowd, and felt like an important proclamation for Billy to make at this point in his career. Then he doubled down on being willing to carry forward the bluegrass torch.

“As time goes on I realize I have a duty here, to play these songs for the next generation. We’ve got to keep playing ‘Whiskey Before Breakfast’ and ‘Salt Creek’ so these youngins can learn them and pass them on. I do write my own songs, many of which are not strictly bluegrass, but I always include traditional bluegrass tunes in my shows. I’ve been very fortunate to attract a diverse audience, many of which come from backgrounds outside of bluegrass altogether. My hope is that some kid comes to one of my shows somewhere, and gets inspired to pick up the guitar or banjo, and goes home to Google Tony Rice or Earl Scruggs.”

Strings then went on to say that when he was asked to give the speech, he accepted, but he didn’t really know what he wanted to say. But when Junior Sisk reached out to ask if String wanted to sing a song with him, that’s when he realized the biggest point he wanted to make.

“He’s not afraid to have a long hair up there with him. I’m gonna try to mix up the camo and the tie die a little bit. Stir up the nag champa with the Roll Tide. Over the last 10 years, I’ve played a lot of shows and met a lot of folks, and I’m so grateful to be a part of this community, and to be welcomed to speak here today. But it hasn’t always been this way. I remember early in my career being boxed out of many jams. I’d show up to a bluegrass festival so eager to pick with some good musicians, only to be met with a bitter resistance. There were times I went back to my tent almost in tears.”

Of course Billy Strings is talking about the divide of traditional bluegrass and newgrass/jamgrass that he very much straddles, not exactly living in one world or another, but both. But it wasn’t always that way.

“There was a side of this scene I didn’t belong to. And even though we were all in the same music, there was this invisible divide. I felt like if we could just sit down and talk about Bill Monroe, or sing ‘The First Whippoorwill’ together, that these folks might realize we’ve got more in common than they think. These experiences taught me how bad these kinds of exclusions can be for the entire scene. To me bluegrass is beautiful because of its diversity of sounds and influences.”

Along with talking about the importance of making sure everyone was welcome in bluegrass, he spoke eloquently about the importance of the Father of Bluegrass, Bill Monroe.

“Bill took the flavor of Irish and Scottish fiddle tunes, and old-time Appalachian music, and lonesome Southern blues, and the Western strumming of the cowboy’s guitar, and the flurry of jazz, and the transcendent spiritual vocal of the harmonies of the church, and he mashed them up into this furious musical goulash with horsepower that matched the fast-paced and evolving world around him.”

Bill Monroe was notorious for being a hardliner in bluegrass, saying more contemporary styles “Ain’t no part of nothin’. But Billy pushed back on that notion.

“We have to continue to welcome new voices whose unique perspectives and experience will enhance our collective artistic expression. This music has branches now. The trunk of the tree is firmly planted with roots reaching down deeper and stronger than ever. And the beautiful buds on Bill’s bluegrass tree are blossoming towards the big blue sky, twisting and turning in their own natural way. I don’t know about you, but I am glad there’s flowers on this tree. I see no reason to pull out the shears.”

Then he talked about how achievement and drawing a large crowd can be looked down upon, and how that’s silly.

“I think as bluegrassers, we can sometimes act like crabs in a bucket, trying to pull each other back down, scared to lose our polite little perfect poster children to the evil clutches of success. But this music will inevitably grow, and we should continue to spread the word as far as we can. Because this is a true American art for that deserves so much more from the general population than a simplistic portrayal of country living. It deserves more than a stereotypical image of a banjo picker in overalls with a piece of wheat hanging out of his mouth.

“It is a richly nuanced and sophisticated genre that demands incredible skill and artistry from its musicians, and has a strong commitment to musical excellence, and deep cultural roots. It’s the thread that weaves us all together, regardless of where we come from or how we play. It’s about family and friends, it’s about community. It’s about tradition. I hope that we can all embrace the new artists coming into the fold, and to make space for folks that are different. Together we can foster a rich tapestry of talent that continues to honor our roots, while welcoming innovation.

“I’m proud to be a bluegrasser, and proud to do my part to carry the tradition forward, and share these songs with the next generation, and for crying out loud, nominate Jarrod Walker for Mandolin Player of the Year.”

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2025 IBMA Award Winners

Entertainer of the Year – Billy Strings

Album of the Year – Carter & Cleveland – Jason Carter & Michael Cleveland (artist); Jason Carter & Michael Cleveland (producers); Fiddle Man Records (label)

Vocal Group of the Year – Authentic Unlimited

Gospel Recording of the Year – “He’s Gone” – Jaelee Roberts (artist); Kelsi Harrigill (writer); Byron House (producer); Mountain Home Music Company (label)

Fiddler of the Year – Maddie Denton

Instrumental Recording Of The Year – “Ralph’s Banjo Special” – Kristin Scott Benson, Gena Britt & Alison Brown (artist); Ralph Stanley (writer); Alison Brown (producer); Compass Records (label)

Mandolin Player of the Year – Sierra Hull

Guitar Player of the Year – Trey Hensley

Song of the Year – “Outrun the Rain” – Jason Carter & Michael Cleveland (artist); Terry Herd/Jimmy Yeary (writers); Fiddle Man Records (label); Dale Jason Carter/Michael Cleveland (producer)

Male Vocalist of the Year – Greg Blake

Resophonic Guitar Player of the Year – Justin Moses

Banjo Player of the Year – Kristin Scott Benson

Instrumental Group Of The Year – The Travelin’ McCourys

Female Vocalist of the Year – Alison Krauss

Bass Player of the Year – Vickie Vaughn

New Artist of the Year – Red Camel Collective

Collaborative Recording Of The Year – “Outrun the Rain” – Jason Carter, Michael Cleveland, Jaelee Roberts & Vince Gill (artists); Terry Herd/Jimmy Yeary (writers); Jason Carter/Michael Cleveland (producers), Fiddle Man Records (label)

Music Video of the Year – “The Auctioneer” – The Kody Norris Show (artist); Leroy Van Dyke/Buddy Black (writers); James Gilley (producers); Nate Wiles (videographer); Rebel Records (label)

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