Billy Strings celebrated his 30th birthday on Monday with the announcement of a new album, Me/And/Dad. The collaborative LP with his stepfather Terry Barber will feature 14 covers of bluegrass classics by Doc Watson, Bill Monroe, Jody Emerson, and many more when it arrives on November 18th.
Along with Monday’s announcement, Billy and his dad shared their takes on the traditional bluegrass song “Long Journey Home” and George Jones’ “Life To Go”. The two previews show the familial ease that comes from a lifetime of playing music together, as the two seamlessly trade leads vocally and on guitar. Besides Strings and papa, the two are joined by bassist Mike Bub, mandolinist Ron McCoury, banjo picker Rob McCoury, and fiddler Michael Cleveland with guest appearances from Jerry Douglas, Jason Carter, and Strings’ mother, Debra Barber, who sings on the final track, Carl Story and Lowell Blanchard‘s “I Heard My Mother Weeping”.
“As long as I can remember, I wanted to make a record with my dad,” Strings said. “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.”
Check out the first two tracks from Billy Strings and Terry Barber’s Me/And/Dad, available here for pre-order. Billy returns to the stage on October 6th for a show at Stubbs BBQ in Austin ahead of a set at Austin City Limits Festival the following day. Tickets and a full list of dates are available here.
Billy Strings, Terry Barber – “Long Journey Home” (Traditional)
Billy Strings, Terry Barber – “Life To Go” (George Jones)
