Billy Strings – Me/And/Dad (LP Vinyl)

For all his accomplishments since basically hoisting bluegrass on his shoulders and bringing it to a new generation, Billy Strings had one major item left on his to-do list:

Me / And / Dad takes care of that as Strings, the man who raised him up and taught him guitar, Terry Barber, and a band that includes Dobro master Jerry Douglas, fiddler Michael Cleveland and mandolinist Ronnie McCoury among others cover 14 tracks that Strings learned from Barber as a tot.

Barber trades vocals with his son and plays the Martin guitar he’d once pawned and that Strings tracked down and repurchased.

With the inclusion of studio chatter and shouts out to take solos and vocals Me / And / Dad has the feeling of a living-room session just for fun. But this is serious old-time music by the kid who’s dragging it into the future and the man who instilled it in him.

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— Kristopher Weiss, jambands.com

The album Billy Strings was born to make: a father-son collaboration with Terry Barber, the man who taught him guitar and introduced him to the bluegrass tradition that would define his career. Me/And/Dad captures the Stringdusters' picking prodigy returning to his roots, trading licks with his father across traditional material and original compositions that honor their shared musical heritage. The intimacy of the recording—two family members playing the music that raised them—creates emotional resonance that transcends technical virtuosity.

Terry Barber's influence on Billy's playing has always been audible in his son's impossible flatpicking speed and melodic sensibility, but hearing them together reveals the depth of that musical conversation. The album balances traditional bluegrass standards with songs that reflect their personal history, including material that speaks to addiction and recovery—themes that run through Billy's own journey and his relationship with his father. The production maintains the warmth of front-porch picking while capturing every harmonic detail.

For fans who've followed Billy's meteoric rise through Relix coverage of his festival appearances and Grammy wins, Me/And/Dad provides essential context for understanding where his music comes from. This isn't just a tribute to tradition—it's a document of the living transmission of American roots music from one generation to the next.

Black Vinyl LP. Released November 2023 via Rounder Records. Billy Strings with Terry Barber. Father-son bluegrass collaboration.