Billy Strings Brings Out His Dad Terry Barber At Return To Michigan’s Charlotte Bluegrass Festival

Billy Strings made a special return to the Charlotte Bluegrass Festival in Charlotte, Michigan. Strings headlined the event that was the first bluegrass fest he attended as a youngster and brought out his father, Terry Barber, during the headlining set.

Strings spoke to the audience after taking the stage at 53rd annual festival. The event at Eaton County Fairgrounds, where Strings last performed in 2015, continues through Saturday, June 21.

Strings said to the crowd:

“Thank you so much, it’s good to be back. It’s been 10 years since I’ve been up on this stage. I was a little younger and a little dumber, but I’ve always been having fun.

“So thank you all for coming. I hope you’ve been enjoying the bluegrass music all day. And I’ll tell you, this is the very first bluegrass festival I ever went to when I was a little kid.

“I had heard my dad play bluegrass a lot, and I heard the records. He played a lot of Bill Monroe and Doc and Merle and Lester and Earl and the Stanleys and the Osbornes and Jimmy Martin. And all them guys have played here.

“It’s a legendary place and we’re so glad to be back to play at this beautiful festival, and there’s so many of these awesome festivals all around the country. And we gotta go check them out, man – make sure they keep on happening.

“But I remember my dad holding me and seeing Jim & Jesse out here, and it changed my whole life, you know. Like I said, I heard the music at home, but this festival was the first time I heard banjos and fiddles played into microphones coming out of speakers like that. And I saw the big suits and the big hats and the gold-plated banjos and everything, and these guys were just 10 feet tall, man. I was four years old and I saw those guys picking up here, and I knew that’s what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.

“So if you’re four years old and you’re out in the crowd, you can do this too.”

Strings brought out Barber near the end of Thursday’s performance, which saw strings and his bandmates — bassist Royal Masat, banjoist Billy Failing, mandolinist Jarrod Walker and fiddler Alex Hargreaves — huddled around a single microphone.

Barber raised Strings (William Apostol), whose biological father died when Strings was 2 years old. Barber helped foster Strings’ musical development and the pair released the Grammy-nominated album, ME/AND/DAD, in 2022.

Strings and his dad have collaborated publicly numerous times and began yesterday’s session with “Don’t Step Over an Old Love.” Two songs that were recorded for ME/AND/DAD, “Little Cabin Home On The Hill” and “Little Blossom,” kept the family collaboration going. Barber completed his sit-in by leading a performance of “What Would You Give (In Exchange For Your Soul)?”

Fellow Charlotte Bluegrass Festival performer, Junior Sisk, was tapped to join Strings and his bandmates for the encore. Sisk accompanied the ensemble in helping to sing “Love Me Darlin’, Just Tonight.” Strings and his band ended the encore with “Y’all Come.”

Billy Strings performs tonight at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky. A livestream is available to nugs subscribers. For a limited time, new nugs subscribers can register for an All Access plan for $5 per month for four months. Explore the JamBase Picks: Billy Strings Covering Bob Dylan playlist on the nugs app.

Watch highlights of Strings’ return to Charlotte Bluegrass Festival below:

Setlist (via BillyBase.net)

Set: Sally Goodin, Ridin’ That Midnight Train, Close By, Hellbender, John Deere Tractor, Red Daisy, Train 45, Blues Stay Away From Me, Blackjack County Chains, I’ll Remember You, Love, In My Prayers, Shackles & Chains, Randall Collins, Done Gone, Hello, City Limits, Don’t Step Over an Old Love [1][2], Little Cabin Home On The Hill [3][4], Little Blossom [1], What Would You Give (In Exchange For Your Soul)? [3], Dust In A Baggie

Encore: Love Me Darlin’, Just Tonight [5][6], Y’all Come

Notes:

• [1] – w/ Terry Barber on guitar and lead vocals
• [2] – Last Time Played 2024-10-04 | 57 show gap
• [3] – w/ Terry Barber on guitar and vocals
• [4] – Last Time Played 2024-05-24 | 76 show gap
• [5] – w/ Junior Sisk on vocals
• [6] – Last Time Played 2024-08-03 | 65 show gap