Here’s a unique song from bluegrass singer, songwriter, and storyteller Daniel Crabtree.
It’s a “true song,” as Big Mon would say, about an actual incident Daniel witnessed in person, something that occurred at Nashville’s Station Inn. Since the story is about watching Billy Strings react to Larry Sparks performing live, I guess it’s a “bluegrass song about bluegrass,” something Chris Jones has warned us about, but its depth and purity allow it to transcend the stereotypes.
I Saw Billy Cry is a first-hand eyewitness telling of when Crabtree watched Billy Strings meet Sparks, and it conveys both the stature and the near worship with which Larry is regarded within the bluegrass community, and the honesty and sincerity of young Mr. Strings in his appreciation for the music he loves so well. Not necessarily a passing of the torch moment, but a candid representation of the solid grounding Billy has in bluegrass. And the humility that has been often expressed about his personality.
Crabtree assembled a fine bunch of Nashville artists at Scott Vestal’s Digital Underground studio, with Cody Kilby on guitar, Vestal on banjo, Jesse Brock on mandolin, Tim Crouch on fiddle, Jeff Partin on reso-guitar, and Mike Bub on bass.
Have a listen to the story as it unfolds.
I Saw Billy Cry is available now from popular download and streaming services online, and to radio programmers via AirPlay Direct.
