Watch Bluegrass Virtuoso Billy Strings’ “Long Journey Home” Music Video

By Rod Brakes
published

"Not doing this record scared me," says the award-winning guitarist as he prepares for new father & son LP release, ‘Me/and/Dad’

Terry Barber (left) and Billy Strings
Terry Barber (left) and Billy Strings (Image credit: Joshua Black Wilkins)

Grammy-winning bluegrass luminary Billy Strings has announced his new album, Me/and/Dad (opens in new tab), will be released on November 18 via Rounder Records.

Featuring new versions of fourteen bluegrass and country classics, Me/and/Dad represents the first album Strings has recorded with his father, Terry Barber.

A lifelong wish come true, the much-lauded guitarist says, “As long as I can remember, I’ve been wanting to make a record with my Dad; he’s the one who taught me how to play.”

Speaking of his urgency to get the project underway Strings recalled, “I’ve been burning up and down the highways the last 12 years, and as time slips away, you start thinking, ‘I need to make time.’

“It’s been a bucket list thing for me, something I’ve been afraid I wouldn’t find the time to do. And that scared me; not doing this record scared me.”

Tracked at Sound Emporium Studios (opens in new tab) in Nashville and self-produced with Gary Paczosa, Me/and/Dad captures the familiar comfort of the father and son duo’s performances as they trade vocal and guitar leads with natural ease.

Tracklist is as follows:

  1. "Long Journey Home" (bluegrass traditional)
  2. "Life To Go" (written by George Jones)
  3. "Way Downtown" (written by Doc Watson)
  4. "Little Blossom" (written by Hank Thompson) 
  5. "Peartree" (written by Arthel Lane “Doc” Watson, Gaither Carlton) 
  6. "Stone Walls and Steel Bars" (written by Ray Pennington, Roy Eugene Marcum) 
  7. "Little White Church" (written by Eugene Wellman) 
  8. "Dig A Little Deeper (In The Well)" (written by Jody Emerson, Roger Bowling) 
  9. "Wandering Boy" (written by A.P. Carter) 
  10. "John Deere Tractor" (written by Lawrence Hammond) 
  11. "Frosty Morn" (bluegrass traditional) 
  12. "I Haven’t Seen Mary In Years" (written by Damon Black) 
  13. "Little Cabin Home On The Hill" (written by Lester Flatt, Bill Monroe) 
  14. "Heard My Mother Weeping" (written by Carl Story, Lowell Blanchard)

Billy Strings and Terry Barber's 'Me/and/Dad' album artwork

(Image credit: Rounder Records)

In addition to special appearances by Jerry Douglas (opens in new tab), Jason Carter (opens in new tab) and Strings’ mother, Debra Barber, the album features an all-star band comprising bassist Mike Bub, mandolinist Ron McCoury, banjo player Rob McCoury and fiddler Michael Cleveland.

Me/and/Dad appears following the release of the award-winning 2021 LP Renewal (opens in new tab). This 16-song album showcases Strings as a unique performer pushing acoustic guitar music into new areas.

One of the Top 50 Most Played Albums at Americana Radio last year, Renewal made several of the year’s ‘best of’ lists while drawing praise from The New York Times who declared Strings, “a premier bluegrass mind for this post-everything era.”

Pre-order Me/and/Dad by Billy Strings here (opens in new tab).

Rod Brakes
Rod Brakes

Rod Brakes is a music journalist with an expertise in guitars. Having spent many years at the coalface as a guitar dealer and tech, Rod's more recent work as a writer covering artists, industry pros and gear includes contributions for leading publications and websites such as Guitarist, Total Guitar, Guitar World (opens in new tab), Guitar Player (opens in new tab) and MusicRadar (opens in new tab) in addition to specialist music books, blogs and social media. He is also a lifelong musician.