The Ionia County-raised guitarist continues his meteoric rise, with his latest album, “Me/And/Dad,” making waves on a number of national/regional charts. See who else made the latest Hot Top 5.
Sold-Out Shows and a New No. 1 Album: Billy Strings playing on stage last month in Kalamazoo. (Photo/Derek Ketchum)
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It took an international bluegrass powerhouse to knock gypsy swing’s Djangophonique off of its lofty perch.
Bluegrass guitar virtuoso Billy Strings’ latest album, “Me/And/Dad,” has quickly accrued an incredible record of chart success.
His latest studio release featuring duets with his dad, Terry Barber, jumped to No. 1 on the Billboard Bluegrass Albums Chart as well as the Luminate Bluegrass Albums Chart.
But that’s not all: The album soared to No. 2 on Billboard’s Americana/Folk Albums Chart, No. 5 on the Top Album Sales Chart, No. 7 on the Top Country Albums Chart and No. 37 on the Billboard Top 200, a roster usually dominated by pop and hip-hop artists.
On Facebook, Billy Strings called it “unreal.”
Regionally, that “unreal” phenomenon included snagging the No. 1 spot on the Local Spins Hot Top 5 Chart for November, representing the album by a local or regional artist that earned the most radio airplay at Grand Rapids’ WYCE (88.1 FM).
The rootsy, traditional bluegrass collection from the musician raised in Ionia County toppled Ann Arbor guitarist Andrew Brown’s Djangophonique from the top slot for the first time since August when the jazz manouche outfit started its three-month domination of the Hot Top 5 Chart with “Introducing Djangophonique.”
Collectively, the tracks on “Me/And/Dad” already have racked up more than 2.5 million listens on Spotify. Read the Local Spins review of “Me/And/Dad” here.
Billy Strings and band currently are playing sold-out shows overseas in Europe, with upcoming concerts in Germany, England and Ireland before closing out the year with shows in New Orleans.
It wasn’t the only album to make its Hot Top 5 debut in November.
Grand Rapids surf-rock band The Concussions’ new anniversary compilation, “Exxorcising Our Demons,” came in at No. 3, followed by Lowell singer-songwriter RyneShyne’s self-titled recording and Grand Rapids tunesmith Cole Hansen’s latest album, “Vote for Love” (which stood at No. 3 in October).
Listen to tracks from all of the releases below.
THE LOCAL SPINS HOT TOP 5 ON SPOTIFY: November 2022
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