New Stars of Bluegrass: Molly Tuttle, Casey Campbell, Billy Strings

Bluegrass, more than any other genre of music I’ve ever seen, raises and nurtures its next generation of musicians and fans. Through festival culture, picking parties and families, kids get involved early and develop rapidly. And with each decade, it seems the prodigies are younger and better. It’s something else to watch. In this hour, interviews with three rising stars of bluegrass music. They’re young, hungry and really good. Molly Tuttle, Casey Campbell and Billy Strings are my guests.

They have a few things in common. They are all 24 years old. They all grew up in households that were full of bluegrass music. And they’re all in Nashville finding their footing as professionals. That’s about where the similarities stop. They’re from very different parts of the country and they have personal visions for their music. Together they offer a composite look at the present and near future of a genre that keeps regenerating and changing while maintaining its core identity and passion for an original sound and repertoire.

It’s a play in three acts. First Molly Tuttle talks about evolving from a precocious young guitarist to a songwriter/artist/bandleader. Then mandolinist Casey Campbell talks about the power of mentorship and fellowship, something that allowed him to make a duets album with his heroes. And finally, the blazing guitarist and band leader Billy Strings talks about escaping a hard-luck town in Michigan and becoming a musician with a social conscience.