Grammy Winner Gives Surprise Performance at Michigan Children’s Hospital
One of the many reasons we love this local native and Grammy winning guitarist.
If you're not familiar with recording artist Billy Strings, where have you been? The Michigan bluegrass phenom was born in Lansing but spent time growing up near Muir and performing in cities like Grand Rapids and Traverse City.
These the two-time Grammy winner and recent dad is on the usually on the road touring or performing with legends like Willie Nelson, Phish, and Jason Isbell-- but that doesn't mean he's forgotten where he came from.Keen-eyed fans have spotted Billy recently in the Grand Rapids area and now we know why:
He was visiting Helen DeVos Children's Hospital.
Billy infamously fled his own music festival in Colorado in 2024 to witness the birth of his first child with wife Ally borrowing the private jet of Ringo Starr to rush back to Michigan. At the time the couple kept quiet but now Billy is revealing his own son, River Apostol, spent time in the NICU at the Grand Rapids children's hospital.
Billy and his wife, Ally, welcomed their son last year who ended up in our NICU. Thankful for the care they received, they knew they wanted to come back for a special visit. - Helen DeVos Children's Hospital via Facebook
The post goes on to say Billy was a special guest performer at the hospitals Blue Glass Studios and even gave a special mini-performance to each floor, including the NICU.
I really wanted to come play music to distract kids from going through a rough time - Billy Strings
As we said, this special performance is just one of the many reasons we're a fan of Billy Strings both on and off the stage. In 2024 Billy backed affordable housing in Grand Rapids with a sizeable donation to the non-profit Well House.
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