In Chattanooga, Billy Strings wrapped up an intimate duo tour with guitar hero Bryan Sutton and launched another stretch of his ongoing mega-tour with his versatile jamgrass band. Amid that, he delivered a keynote address to the IBMA World of Bluegrass that solidified his position as a leader and an ambassador of the music’s core traditions. Craig Havighurst of WMOT was there and has this analysis.
______
On Tuesday, Sept. 16, leaders and insiders in the bluegrass music community piled into a ballroom at the Chattanooga Convention Center, excited to hear a keynote interview with the genre’s biggest star, Billy Strings. The Q&A format is a kind of fallback position when a high-profile figure isn’t thought to be an experienced or enthusiastic public speaker. But that afternoon, Billy Strings surprised the organizers. He did have an address. He wanted the podium. And over about 13 minutes, the Grammy-winning guitar player, singer, songwriter and bandleader, so renowned for his touring success, made a different kind of roots music history…