Billy Strings Is Running Down His “Highway Prayers”

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Billy Strings is the best live performer on planet earth, any genre, and perhaps, any era. Future generations will be talking about Billy like we talk now about The Beatles, Elvis, and Bill Monroe now, except Billy takes it to an entirely other universe of improvisation and experimentation, while remaining unflinchingly a bluegrass artist.

Even Billy Strings himself admits openly that the best way to imbibe in his music is in the live setting. He’s never going to sell millions of studio albums, and this is one of the reasons he just released his first live album called Live Vol. 1 on July 12th. But that doesn’t mean he can’t get into the studio between shows and see what kind of trouble he can get into. In this case, it’s 20 original songs co-produced with Jon Brion.

Highway Prayers will be out September 27th via Reprise Records, and will feature Billy’s touring band of Billy Failing (banjo), Royal Masat (bass), Jarrod Walker (mandolin) and Alex Hargraves (fiddle). Additional artists include 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).

But on the album’s first debut single “Leadfoot” written by Strings it features Billy playing banjo, bass, steel guitar, and EBow electric guitar, all by himself, as well as sounds from a 1972 Chevrolet Chevelle. The only outside musician is Matt Chamberlain on drums (listen below).


It’s smart to expect a departure from Billy’s last album Me/And/Dad that was a super traditional bluegrass album of standards Strings recorded with his father. This one is likely to take a more progressive turn, but it is also likely to include ample amounts of traditional bluegrass, just like all of Billy’s albums and his live shows.

A song many Strings fans will already be aware of is “Richard Petty,” which is an a capella song he performs with his band, and that also appeared on Live Vol. 1, as well as the story song “Catch and Release” that he’s been featuring live for a while.

Even though Billy Strings might be best known for his improvisation and extended bluegrass jams, he’s already contributed a few bona fide standards to the bluegrass canon in his young career. They’ll be playing “Dust in a Baggie” 100 years from now, and “Away From The Mire” is also a song you hear performed both in the bluegrass and jam band worlds.

Whether “Leadfoot” or one of the other 19 tracks from the new album become a classic is yet to be seen. But most any great song starts with a studio track. Then wherever Billy Strings and his band takes it is part of the fun of seeing him perform live.

To pre-save and pre-order Highway Prayers, CLICK HERE.

TRACK LIST:

  1. Leaning on a Travelin’ Song
  2. In the Clear
  3. Escanaba
  4. Gild the Lily
  5. Seven Weeks In County
  6. Stratosphere Blues / I Believe in You
  7. Cabin Song
  8. Don’t Be Calling Me (at 4AM)
  9. Malfunction Junction
  10. Catch and Release
  11. Be Your Man
  12. Gone a Long Time
  13. It Ain’t Before
  14. My Alice
  15. Seney Stretch
  16. MORBUD4ME
  17. Leadfoot
  18. Happy Hollow
  19. The Beginning of the End
  20. Richard Petty


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