Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder Concerts & Events

 

–A life full of music. That’s the story of Ricky Skaggs. By age twenty-one, he was already

considered a “recognized master” of one of America’s most demanding art forms, but his career

took him in other directions, catapulting him to popularity and success in the mainstream of

country music. His life’s path has taken him to various musical genres, from where it all began

in bluegrass music, to striking out on new musical journeys, while still leaving his musical roots

intact.

Ricky struck his first chords on a mandolin over 60 years ago, and this 15-time Grammy Award

winner continues to do his part to lead the recent roots revival in music. With 12 consecutive

Grammy-nominated classics behind him, all from his own Skaggs Family Records label

(Bluegrass Rules! in 1998, Ancient Tones in 1999, History of the Future in 2001, Soldier of

the Cross, Live at the Charleston Music Hall, and Big Mon: The Songs of Bill Monroe in

2003, Brand New Strings in 2005, Instrumentals in 2007, Salt of the Earth with The Whites

in 2008, Honoring the Fathers of Bluegrass: Tribute to 1946 and 1947 in 2009 and Ricky

Skaggs Solo: Songs My Dad Loved along with Mosaic in 2010), the diverse and masterful

tones made by the gifted Skaggs come from a life dedicated to playing music that is both fed

by the soul and felt by the heart.

Ricky was born on July 18, 1954 in Cordell, Kentucky, and received his first mandolin at the

age of five after his father, Hobert, heard him harmonizing with his mother from across the

house as he played with his toys. Two weeks after teaching him the G, C and D chords, Hobert

returned from working out of town shocked to see his young son making chord changes and

singing along. He soon earned a reputation among the locals in his community. When the

legendary Bill Monroe came to Martha, Kentucky for a performance, the crowd wouldn’t let

up until “Little Ricky Skaggs” got up to play. The father of bluegrass called six-year-old Skaggs

up and placed his own mandolin around his neck, adjusting the strap to fit his small frame. No

one could have imagined what a defining moment that would be in the life of the young prodigy.

By age seven, Skaggs performed with bluegrass legends Flatt & Scruggs on their popular

syndicated television show, for which he earned his first paycheck for a musical performance.

In 1971, he entered the world of professional music full-time with his friend, the late country

singer, Keith Whitley, when the two young musicians were invited to join the band of bluegrass

patriarch Ralph Stanley. Ricky soon began to build a reputation for creativity and excitement

through live appearances and recordings with acts such as J.D. Crowe & the New South. He

performed on the band’s 1975 debut album for Rounder Records, which is widely regarded as

one of the most influential bluegrass albums ever made. A stint as a bandleader with Boone

Creek followed, bringing the challenges of leadership while giving him further recording and

performing experience.

In the late 1970’s, Ricky turned his attention to country music. Though still in his 20’s, the

wealth of experience and talent he possessed served him well, first as a member of EmmylouHarris’ Hot Band and later as an individual recording artist on his own. With the release of

Waitin’ for the Sun to Shine in 1981, Skaggs reached the top of the country charts and

remained there throughout most of the 1980’s, resulting in a total of 12 #1 hits. In 1982, he

became a member of the Grand Ole Opry, the youngest to ever be inducted at that time. As his

popularity soared, he garnered eight awards from the Country Music Association (CMA),

including “Entertainer of the Year” in 1985, four Grammy Awards and dozens of other honors.

These achievements also placed him front and center in the neo-traditionalist movement,

bringing renewed vitality and prominence to a sound that had been somewhat subdued by the

commercialization of the ‘Urban Cowboy’ fad. Renowned guitarist and producer, Chet Atkins,

even credited Skaggs with “single-handedly” saving country music.

In 1997, after Ricky’s then-current recording contract was coming to an end, he made the

decision to establish his own record label – Skaggs Family Records. Since then, Skaggs and his

band Kentucky Thunder have released an amazing 12 consecutive Grammy-nominated classics

(8 of which went on to earn the revered award) while also opening the label to a variety of other

musical artists, all the time keeping emphasis on bluegrass and other forms of roots music.

Ricky and Skaggs Family Records have had the privilege of working with many musical talents,

including the Del McCoury Band, Jerry and Tammy Sullivan, Blue Highway, The Whites,

Mountain Heart, Melonie Cannon, Ryan Holladay, Keith Sewell, Cherryholmes and Cadillac

Sky.

Ricky’s first release for Skaggs Family Records, Bluegrass Rules!, set a new standard for

bluegrass, breaking new sales records in the genre, winning Skaggs his sixth Grammy Award

and earning the International Bluegrass Music Association’s (IBMA) Album of the Year

Award. In 1999, his second all-bluegrass album, Ancient Tones, won a Grammy Award for

Best Bluegrass Album – his second consecutive Grammy in that same category. Just one year

later, Ricky won his eighth Grammy Award in the Best Southern, Country or Bluegrass Gospel

Album category for Soldier of the Cross, his first all-gospel project with his band Kentucky

Thunder.

Ricky made further progress with the release of his fourth bluegrass album in 2000, Big Mon:

The Songs of Bill Monroe, a project which featured an all-star cast of musicians ranging from

Dolly Parton, Patty Loveless and Travis Tritt to Joan Osborne, John Fogerty and Bruce

Hornsby, and celebrated the music and the life of Ricky’s mentor, Bill Monroe. Big Mon

received much critical acclaim, including a Grammy nomination for Best Country

Collaboration with Vocals. The album was re-released by Lyric Street Records in 2002 under

a new name, Ricky Skaggs and Friends Sing the Songs of Bill Monroe. His fifth bluegrass

album, History of the Future (2001), a timeless collection of both traditional bluegrass

standards and newly conceived acoustic gems received rave reviews and industry accolades,

including a Grammy nomination for Best Bluegrass Album and an IBMA nomination for

Album of the Year, once again placing Skaggs among the leading innovators in the genre.

Skaggs’ first all-live album with Kentucky Thunder, Live at the Charleston Music Hall (2003)

led to an IBMA Award for Instrumental Group of the Year – an award Skaggs and Kentucky

Thunder has taken home 8 times in the last decade. The decision to record a live album was an

obvious one for Skaggs. From a string of high-profile tour dates with the Dixie Chicks in 2000,to his position as host of the unprecedented “All*Star Bluegrass Celebration” which aired

nationwide on PBS in 2002, to his participation in the wildly successful 41-city ‘Down from

the Mountain’ tour – Ricky has become one of bluegrass’ most dynamic and sought-after live

performers. Live at the Charleston Music Hall was honored in 2004 with a Grammy Award

for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group for the Harley Allen-penned track, “A Simple

Life.”

He counts the current configuration of Kentucky Thunder among the best group of musicians

he has ever worked with. “This group of guys meets my approval every night,” Ricky

says. “Each and every one of the pickers in Kentucky Thunder totally amazes me in every

show…and that, to me, outweighs any award we could ever win.” The all-star lineup of

Kentucky Thunder includes Russ Carson (banjo), Justus Ross (lead guitar), Troy Engle (vocals,

multi-instrumentalist), Gavin Kelso (bass), Mike Rogers (tenor vocals, rhythm guitar) and Billy

Contreras (fiddle).

In 2005, Ricky earned his 10th career Grammy (Best Bluegrass Album) for Brand New Strings

– a beautiful collection of music featuring four Skaggs originals as well as several tunes by

some of his most admired contemporaries, including Harley Allen, Guy Clark and Shawn

Camp. In 2006, Skaggs was honored with a Grammy Award – this time in the Best Musical

Album for Children category – for his contribution to Songs from the Neighborhood: the

Music of Mister Rogers. Greater success followed with the release of Ricky Skaggs and

Kentucky Thunder Instrumentals, an album of all-original, all-instrumental material in the fall

of 2006. Praised by fans and critics alike as a landmark album for Skaggs, Instrumentals

debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s bluegrass album chart and earned Ricky his 12th career Grammy

Award (Best Bluegrass Album).

Cross pollination has been a mainstay throughout Ricky’s career, from his weekly

collaborations with various artists as host of The Nashville Network’s Monday Night Concerts

in the 1990’s to his recent pairings with Bruce Hornsby and The Whites. Released in March of

2007, Ricky Skaggs and Bruce Hornsby (Sony/Legacy) drew from the deep roots in mountain

music – adding piano and Hornsby’s inimitable songwriting to the core bluegrass lineup of

mandolin, guitar, bass, fiddle and banjo. A major ‘CMT Crossroads’ special coincided with the

album’s release.

His next recorded project, released in September of 2007 on Skaggs Family Records, was a

literal family affair. After years of blending their voices from the living room to the stage, Ricky

Skaggs and The Whites teamed up for their first collaborative gospel album, Salt of the Earth,

which resulted in a 13th career Grammy Award for Best Southern, Country or Bluegrass Gospel

Album, followed by a Gospel Music Association Dove Award for Bluegrass Recorded Album

of the Year and Inspirational Country Music Awards for Musician of the Year as well as

Mainstream Country Artist of the Year and Inspirational Bluegrass Artist of the Year (with The

Whites).

In 2008, Skaggs paid tribute to the man he has often referred to as his “musical father”, Bill

Monroe, and the original lineup of the Bluegrass Boys (Earl Scruggs, Lester Flatt, Chubby Wiseand Howard Watts) with the release of Honoring the Fathers of Bluegrass: Tribute to 1946

and 1947, earning a 14th career Grammy Award for Best Bluegrass Album.

A musical father in his own right, Skaggs continued on the full circle path with the addition of

a ReIssue Series of his groundbreaking country music masterworks to the Skaggs Family

Records catalog in 2009. Beginning with 1982’s Highways & Heartaches, and followed by

1981’s Waitin’ for the Sun to Shine and 1983’s Don’t Cheat in Our Hometown, the ReIssue

Series will include nine albums total and includes bonus retrospectives with each release, which

feature Ricky, in his own words, sharing never-before-told stories about the making of each

project.

Skaggs’ first-ever solo album, Ricky Skaggs Solo: Songs My Dad Loved (2009), celebrated the

man that caused him to fall in love with music – his father, Hobert Skaggs. He elaborates, “If

I could’ve gotten my dad into the studio, this is how I would’ve wanted him to sound.” Playing

every instrument and singing every note on the album, Ricky brought raw, emotional honesty

to the songs. By coming home to the music that meant so much to him as a child, Ricky tapped

into a wellspring of passion that is channeled into every tune, as though he willed himself back

to his family’s house in Kentucky. Solo was honored in the American roots field with a Grammy

nomination for Best Traditional Folk Album in 2010.

Ricky Skaggs’ album, Mosaic (2010), marked a return to a full band sound that mixed elements

of Country music with Beatles-esque melody and lyrics that spoke to Skaggs’ faith, “making

music that is in my head and in my heart,” as Ricky said. Grammy winning songwriter/producer

Gordon Kennedy, who co-wrote Eric Clapton’s “Change the World,” was instrumental as co-

producer and writer. This most special album hooks the heart, as the sounds invite you in to

take notice and come closer. They blended their talents and love of music with their love for

the Lord to create this distinctive collaboration of writing and talent, unparalleled in strength of

genius. The song, “Return to Sender” from Mosaic was nominated for a Grammy for Best

Gospel Song, and the album was a contender for Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album at the

53rd Grammy Awards, receiving major critical acclaim.

Marking Ricky’s 50th year in music was the release of Country Hits Bluegrass Style (2011), a

compilation of many of Skaggs’ #1 country hits and fan favorites played in a bluegrass style.

Combining his country and bluegrass roots along with Ricky’s impeccable tenor voice, his eight

time IBMA Instrumental Band of the Year, Kentucky Thunder, and some of Ricky’s original

award-winning country band alumni together with special friends added to the magic of this

release.

Long awaited by country and bluegrass music fans alike, Music To My Ears (2012) included

fresh new bluegrass tunes co-written by Skaggs along with a brand new instrumental. Many

bluegrass standards were incorporated and added to its charm. The album featured a duet with

Ricky Skaggs and Barry Gibb (of Bee Gees fame) on deeply moving “Soldier’s Son,” along

with a new bluegrass treasure “You Can’t Hurt Ham,” inspired by a true story of Mr. Bill

Monroe.In 2013, music legends Ricky Skaggs and Bruce Hornsby came together again for a live album,

titled Cluck Ol’ Hen. Bluegrass treasures and lively expanded hits are to be discovered on this

fresh collection of songs from the masterful duo of Skaggs and Hornsby. These live songs were

originally recorded when the two music icons first hit the tour circuit together. Hornsby’s

spirited piano brings a new dimension to these songs, with electrifying solos and improvisation

thrown in the mix of Skaggs, Hornsby and Skaggs’ band, Kentucky Thunder. A string of tour

dates coincided with the release, including a stop at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tenn.

With the release of Hearts Like Ours (2014), a dream came true for Ricky Skaggs and his wife,

celebrated artist Sharon White of The Whites. Previously in 1987 the pair won a CMA Vocal

Duo of the Year award for “Love Can’t Ever Get Better Than This,” but White was touring

with her family band and Skaggs was on fire with his solo career, so releasing a full project

wasn’t possible at the time. This first-ever studio album was produced by Skaggs and White

and features the couple dueting on handpicked country love songs.

As a musician, Skaggs is a brilliant traditionalist but is also willing to mix genres, recording

and touring with many different artists such as Bruce Hornsby and Ry Cooder. With dates in

2015, Ry Cooder, Sharon White and Ricky Skaggs embarked upon the critically acclaimed

‘Cooder-White-Skaggs – Songs for the Good People’ tour that featured the trio singing

gospel, blues and country along with superior musicianship. Backing the trio was Mark Fain on

bass, Ry’s son Joachim Cooder on drums, with Sharon’s father Buck White on piano and sister

Cheryl White’s harmony vocals. Stops crossing the country included Berklee Performance

Center in Boston and Carnegie Hall in New York, with tour dates continuing into 2016. Most

recently, Skaggs has added Country tour dates as he plugs in and plays full shows of his chart-

topping hits.

Skaggs demonstrates wizardry in the studio, producing not only his records but sets from acts

such as The Whites and Dolly Parton, as well as the Love Remains disc from Hillary Scott &

The Scott Family, which won him his 15th Grammy for Best Contemporary Christian Music

Album as a producer.

2018 was a stellar year for Skaggs, with the addition of three more Hall of Fame inductions:

the National Fiddler Hall of Fame, IBMA’s Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and country

music’s greatest honor, the Country Music Hall of Fame. Along with his three previous

inductions into the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame, the Gospel Music Association’s Gospel

Music Hall of Fame and the Musicians Hall of Fame, all six awards display his ability to

masterfully cross genres with versatility in styles and instruments.

The year 2020 saw Ricky receiving what his mother always wanted him to; his high school

diploma. The school, Lawrence County High School in Louisa, Kentucky, bestowed upon him

an honorary diploma for all of his work in music, even though it was just a little bit later than

when his mother would have imagined it, almost 50 years later! Ricky says, “It was an amazing

surprise and answered prayer of my mom. She wanted me to graduate before I went full time

with Ralph Stanley on the road.”Also in 2020, Ricky was awarded the prestigious National Medal of Arts for his contributions

to the American music industry. It is the highest award given to artists and arts patrons by the

United States government. As a virtuoso of the mandolin and fiddle, Ricky Skaggs creates and

produces bluegrass music that preserves the musical legacy of the most talented artists of his

generation.

Ricky Skaggs has often said that he is “just trying to make a living” playing the music he loves.

But it’s clear that his passion for it puts him in the position to bring his lively, distinctively

American form of music out of isolation and into the ears and hearts of audiences across the

country and around the world. Ricky Skaggs is always forging ahead with cross-cultural, genre-

bending musical ideas and inspirations.