He may not be a native son of Traverse City, but famed bluegrass star Billy Strings is repping his former home of northern Michigan on his new album, Highway Prayers. The album, which came out today (Friday), namedrops Traverse City on two of its 20 songs.

Strings, born in Lansing in 1992 as William Apostol, was once a fixture of the Traverse City music scene. Though he grew up in the Ionia area, he moved north after graduating from high school in 2011, eventually linking up with local mandolinist (and author of Mandolin for Dummies), Don Julin. For four years, the two — along with bassist Kevin Gills — worked together to carve out a northern Michigan niche for their bluegrass sound. Locals could catch Strings every Thursday night at Little Bohemia, or hear him play regularly at other area venues such as Union Street Station, Left Foot Charley, Inside Out Gallery, and even Horizon Books.

Since moving to Nashville in 2016, Strings has experienced a meteoric rise. In 2021, he won the Grammy for Best Bluegrass Album for his LP Home. These days, he tours amphitheaters across the country as a headliner – including, in Michigan, Pine Knob Music Theatre in Clarkston, where he’ll play a pair of mostly-sold-out shows next Friday and Saturday. He has 2.94 million monthly listeners on Spotify and is an increasingly popular collaborator for major artists, including the likes of Willie Nelson, Dierks Bentley, Bela Fleck, and Zach Bryan. Just last month, Strings joined pop star Post Malone for a track on his new country album F-1 Trillion, which topped the Billboard charts.

Strings has made his way back to northern Michigan on occasion: In 2020, he and his stepfather played a show at the City Opera House – and sat down with Ticker sister publication Northern Express for an interview.

On his newly-released album Highway Prayers, Strings namedrops his former northern Michigan stomping grounds on two different songs. First, on opening track “Leaning on a Travelin’ Song,” he mentions TC in the context of his vagabond touring musician lifestyle. “I can’t recall the past ten miles/Standing still feels like I’m flyin’/That old moon is shining bright/Keep her steady, lord keep it right,” he sings. “Traverse City to Santa Fe/Sacramento on down to Tampa Bay/Cruising through the early dawn/Lеaning on a travelin’ song.”

Touring is also the subject of “Gone a Long Time,” the other Highway Prayers track that includes a reference to the Cherry Capital. “Jaybird seen a little worm, wiggling on the ground/Guess there ain't no hiding place, no matter where I'm found/Just came from Traverse City, now I'm Withlacoochee bound/I'll be gone a long timе,” Strings sings in the song’s third verse.

Highway Prayers is now available to buy or stream wherever music can be bought or streamed.