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| "Anything he wants to hit, he HITS. I’ve never seen anything like it. Anything he wants to do, he does. I mean, how can somebody play that well if he came from nowhere?" -- Sportswriter Max Mercy about Roy Hobbs in the film, THE NATURAL (1984) Robert Duvall’s character might just as well have been talking about Ricky Skaggs. The bluegrass wizard surely didn’t come from nowhere, exactly, but his birthplace of Cordell, Kentucky is as tough to find on most maps as a scared possum in a holler. Like Hobbs, Skaggs began as a child phenom--smack dab under the spell of a living, Ruthian legend (Mr. Bill Monroe)--who learned to master every position, then took a career sidestep of a dozen years or so before returning to his first love as the consummate all-around performer in his field--and on a championship team. Born in the eastern Kentucky hamlet of Cordell on July 18, 1954, Ricky Skaggs possessed a talent that had the area’s collective jaws dropping by the age of five, and he would continue to expand and hone his gifts on a steady, upward arc that hasn’t flagged to this day. In 1971--and just 17 years old--he and pal Keith Whitley began a short stint in bluegrass pioneer Ralph Stanley’s Clinch Mountain Boys, followed by two years with Washington, D.C.’s Country Gentlemen. Word of the wunderkind’s varied skills spread quickly from there; Ricky sang and played fiddle on J.D. Crowe & The New South’s landmark debut in 1975 and session work for the ambitious multi-instrumentalist began pouring in at a breakneck pace (as of this writing in 2003, Skaggs has appeared on well over 250 recordings--not including his own). Some of that work included recording with groundbreaking country artist Emmylou Harris (beginning in 1975); when Rodney Crowell left Harris’ revered Hot Band in 1978, Skaggs signed on and brought increasing bluegrass and hill country musical influences to bear on the songbird’s work, including "Blue Kentucky Girl" and, in particular, "Light of the Stable" and "Roses In the Snow." Ironically, just as Ricky was steering Emmylou toward bluegrass sounds, his own 1979 solo debut, "Sweet Inspiration" and a 1980 duo record with Tony Rice caught Epic Records’ attention, and Skaggs was signed to a Nashville country contract. Skaggs’ output for Epic was both artistically and commercially successful. His clearwater vocals and graceful delivery led to 11 #1 singles (18 total in the Top Ten), and at least three of his Epic albums ("Highways and Heartaches," "Country Boy" and "Live In London") still stand among the best and most influential country recordings of the ‘80s. He earned four Grammy Awards and was honored eight times by the Country Music Association, including being its "Entertainer Of The Year" in 1985. In 1982 Skaggs became the youngest member of the fabled Grand Ole Opry. In the early ’90s, as mainstream country radio targeted a more youthful, urban and rock-oriented audience, Skaggs left Epic and took some time to take stock and reassess his goals. He re-explored his roots on a 1994 duo release with Jerry Douglas on Rounder Records, while continuing to keep in touch with his ailing hero, Bill Monroe. On his last visit with ‘Big Mon,’ as Skaggs told Tom Robinson of "Appalachian Life," the 84-year-old legend couldn’t even reach for the mandolin, and "I knew it would be the last time I would see him on this earth." Monroe died September 9, 1996. Skaggs shortly thereafter re-dedicated himself to the bluegrass way. He formed Skaggs Family Records, and with the remarkable support of Kentucky Thunder, Ricky & Co. began an inspired, relentless crusade for the elevation of bluegrass music which continues, unabated, to this day. Skaggs Family, and its sister label, Ceili Music, have provided safe harbor and aggressive marketing for such stellar fellow travelers as The Del McCoury Band, Mountain Heart, Jerry and Tammy Sullivan, Paul Brewster and The Whites (featuring Ricky’s wife, Sharon White Skaggs). Beginning with 1997’s "Bluegrass Rules" and continuing on through "Ancient Tones" (1999), the all-gospel "Soldier of the Cross" and "Big Mon: Songs of Bill Monroe" (both 2000) and "History of the Future" (2001), Skaggs & Co. have garnered five-straight Grammy nominations, winning three outright. En route to helping build the boss’s Grammy Awards total to nine, Skaggs’ cohorts in Kentucky Thunder have positively dominated the International Bluegrass Music Association awards, being named IBMA’s "Instrumental Group Of The Year" four of the past five years. At the vanguard of the bluegrass resurgence which includes the darkhorse success of the soundtrack to "O Brother, Where Art Thou?," the crossover popularity of The Dixie Chicks (with whom Ricky and boys toured in 2000), and returns to the fold by the likes of Dolly Parton and Patty Loveless. Ricky Skaggs cemented his stature on the 41-city "Down From The Mountain" tour, along with hosting PBS television’s "All*Star Bluegrass Celebration" and the acclaimed "Three Pickers" PBS program and cd release with Doc Watson and Earl Scruggs. With the new "Brand New Strings" on his own Skaggs Family Records, Ricky Skaggs and the all-star squad Kentucky Thunder have delivered yet another pillar-to-post jewel to add to their bluegrass crown. Steeped in tradition and respectful of the music’s heritage and chock-full of brilliant singing and picking, Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder are in no way confined to presenting Bill Monroe’s baby-child as a dusty, brittle, museum piece; their music is a muscular, living and breathing creature of the here-and-now. Skaggs’ enthusiasm for roots music is boundless. As he told "Appalachian Life," "It’s heart and soul. This isn’t going away in six months. New people are getting on board; young people are playing it. All these years people have played this music; all these years the music has been planted and watered. This is harvest time." When fictional baseball star Roy Hobbs was asked what he hoped to accomplish by breaking all the records, he said, "When I walk down the street, people will look at me and say, ‘There goes Roy Hobbs--the best there ever was.’" He, too, might just as well have been talking about Ricky Skaggs--a real-life ‘natural’ if ever there was one. |
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| Ricky Skaggs climbs to #1 on the Billboard bluegrass chart Skaggs also receives honorary doctorate from Eastern Kentucky University on May 8th Nashville, Tenn. (November 16, 2004) Ricky Skaggs has ascended to the top of the Billboard Top Bluegrass Albums sales chart with his new CD, Brand New Strings. The recently released collection of contemporary songs sits at #1, making Skaggs the first male artist to attain the top position on the chart. Skaggs achievement will appear in the November 20, 2004 edition of Billboard Magazine. Skaggs is riding high after a busy season of touring with his accomplished band, Kentucky Thunder, which won its sixth Instrumental Band of the Year honor from the International Bluegrass Music Association in October. Skaggs and the band are playing several holiday shows joined by The Whites (Buck, Cheryl, and Sharon, his father-in-law, sister-in-law, and wife, respectively) and second generation 'grassers Luke and Molly Skaggs and Rachel White. Capping off 2004 - a year that saw him garner his 9th Grammy award - Skaggs learned that Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond, Kentucky will be honoring him with an Honorary Doctor of Humanities degree. "Your many friends at Eastern Kentucky University have followed your career with pride," states university President Joanne K. Glasser. Skaggs - who was born in nearby Cordell, Kentucky - will receive his degree and address the graduates at the May 8th graduation ceremony. "I feel like I'm getting a fresh wind in my career," Skaggs said. "I'm doing what I love to do, and every day I count my blessings that I get to go back to my roots and play the music that runs in my veins." Few artists in any genre of American music have attained the heights reached by Ricky Skaggs. Roundly regarded as one of the finest singers, mandolinists and band-leaders in country/bluegrass history, Cordell, Kentucky's favorite son has graced nearly 300 recordings with his incandescent talents, including more than 30 under his own name. Skaggs' incredible career path -- through Ralph Stanley's Clinch Mountain Boys, The Country Gentlemen, J.D. Crowe, The New South, Emmylou Harris' Hot Band and on to his own Kentucky Thunder -- has at once mirrored and defined the shape of bluegrass music. His trophy room would shame King Tut's tomb, but the real treasures reside in the grooves. www.rickyskaggs.com |
| For immediate release: 7 September, 2004 LIGHTNIN’ RICKY SKAGGS & HIS THUNDERING KENTUCKY HERD 9 time Grammy winner's "Brand New Strings" in stores Sept. 28th First album to focus on new material since 1997’s “Life Is A Journey” Busy tour schedule includes San Francisco's "Strictly Bluegrass Festival" 10/3 , Southern California shows in El Cerritos 10/8 & El Cajon 10/10, New York City appearance 10/26 in Lincoln Center's 'Three Shades of Blues' Series (Nashville, Tenn.) -- Fans who think they’ve got Ricky Skaggs pegged as a purveyor of bluegrass chestnuts better prepare themselves for a surprise when the Grammy-winning musician’s new disc, Brand New Strings, hits the streets on September 28. Fulfilling a promise made when he released his epic “return to bluegrass” CD, Bluegrass Rules! in 1997 – “I want to do new songs…to keep moving on,” he told No Depression back then – the mandolin-wielding singer/bandleader has laid down a collection that catapults him into the front ranks of modern bluegrass interpreters. He won’t be abandoning evergreens from Bill Monroe, the Stanley Brothers and other first generation greats at personal appearances, but when it comes to recording, Ricky Skaggs is breaking new ground with a set that features the best of today’s songwriters. Of course, Brand New Strings relies for its musical muscle on Ricky’s band, Kentucky Thunder – the ensemble won its fifth Instrumental Group of the Year award from the International Bluegrass Music Association last fall, while harmony singers Paul Brewster and Darrin Vincent continue to win accolades of their own – but the new CD draws on other talents, too. Fiddler Stuart Duncan, guitarist (and former bandmember) Bryan Sutton, accordionist Jeff Taylor and Ricky’s wife, singer Sharon White, are all back, while guests joining Skaggs for the first time on record include young country star Rebecca Lynn Howard, sky high tenor singer Jamie Dailey (Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver) and, in a surprising turn, electric guitar hotshot Johnny Hiland, who shows off his dazzling chops in an extended picking session on the title track. Still, more than ever, it’s the songs that are central to Skaggs’ latest offering. Nashville’s hottest songwriter, Harley Allen – he penned “A Simple Life,” the song that earned Ricky his most recent Grammy (2004’s Best Country Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal honor) – returns with “Spread A Little Love”; Guy Clark, whose “Heartbroke” was taken to the top of the country charts by Skaggs more than 20 years ago, teams up with Shawn Camp to offer a tribute to folk music legend “Sis Draper”; bluegrass star Shawn Lane (Blue Highway) contributes two thoughtful explorations of life’s decision points, and Skaggs himself joins the fun with three new instrumentals and a reprise of the title track to his 1991 country album, “My Father’s Son.” Still other songs come from Camp (“Lonesome And Dry”), former bandmember Keith Sewell (the title track) and the self-proclaimed wild man of Cajun music, fiddler Doug Kershaw, whose rollicking “Sally Jo” was recorded by Bill Monroe more than 45 years ago. But though the songs are new, and though there are bold steps scattered throughout the disc, Brand New Strings carries on the most important bluegrass tradition of them all– meaty, meaningful songs, played to perfection by a seasoned but energetic ensemble and sung by a man whose voice has touched the hearts of millions in more than three decades of bluegrass and country stardom. Purists may grouse about its modern touches, but when music lovers hear Brand New Strings, they’re going to rejoice in the mastery and heartfelt emotion Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder bring to the set – and that, in the end, it’s what it’s all about. Kay Clary / Donica Christensen ~ Commotion PR kay@commotionpr.com | donica@commotionpr.com 615.467.6677 |
| RICKY SKAGGS KEEPS TORCH BURNING WITH BRAND NEW STRINGS HIGH ON THE MOUNTAIN, DOWN IN THE HOLLERS, KENTUCKY THUNDER ROLLS Nashville, TN (August 6, 2004)-- Ricky Skaggs, one of the indisputable living legends of American music, will roll out his latest studio opus, "Brand New Strings," on his own Skaggs Family imprint on September 28th, 2004. Fueled by his astonishing band of nimble-fingered co-conspirators, Kentucky Thunder (five-time winners of the International Bluegrass Music Association’s ‘Instrumental Group of the Year’ award), the disc scampers and glides through an eclectic, high-octane mix of new, old and in-the-tradition bluegrass, folk and country music. That it is expertly, passionately played and sung is, of course, a given. Although Skaggs just celebrated (July 18th) his 50th birthday, the eternally youthful singer’n’stringer has already created a body of work—including nine Grammy awards ---that would keep a half-dozen resumes robustly stocked. The word ‘precocious’ is an understatement: Skaggs played "Ruby, Are You Mad At Your Man?" on-stage with Bill Monroe at the ripe old age of 5; when he was 7, he performed on Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs’ TV show. At 16, he and running partner Keith Whitley joined Ralph Stanley’s fabled Clinch Mountain Boys for a two-year stint. Any way you cut it, that’s TALL cotton for a boy to walk... In the Seventies alone, Ricky was a member of three of the decade’s seminal Americana combos--Washington, DC’s progressive ’grass wonders The Country Gentlemen, the groundbreaking J.D. Crowe & The New South and Emmylou Harris’ revered Hot Band (where he was ‘instrumental’ in Harris’ move into traditional string music). In the early-’80s, Skaggs helped rejuvenate an exhausted Nashville C&W scene as a point man of the ‘New Traditionalist’ movement. His extraordinary tenor, soulful phrasing and true, blue-collar grasp earned him five straight Number One country hits in 1982-’83 alone; in ’82, he became the youngest member of the Grand Ole Opry. Then, the ‘major-awards dam’ burst and it hasn’t been shored up since. There have been numerous nominations yielding 9 Grammy awards (and counting), and dozens of baubles from the Country Music Association (CMA) and the Academy Of Country Music. Since his re-dedication to bluegrass in the late-’90s, he and/or Kentucky Thunder have hauled home more than a dozen IBMA citations. Through it all, Skaggs’ enviable, clearwater pipes and jaw-dropping mastery of the mandolin and acoustic guitar have made him a much in-demand sideman, as well; apart from his own albums, he’s appeared on more than 250 recordings by a Who’s Who list of country and bluegrass musicians. Again, more than 250... As a bandleader, Skaggs has long been held in the highest regard. Much like those of jazz greats Miles Davis and Art Blakey, or bluesman John Mayall, Skaggs’ groups have become a fundamental crucible of American string music--a portal through which only the finest players dare even attempt to pass. But those who succeed are forever, indelibly stamped with greatness. "Brand New Strings" soars on the musical alchemy of Kentucky Thunder, with sterling contributions added by ace fiddler Stuart Duncan, guitarist (and former bandmember) Bryan Sutton, accordionist Jeff Taylor and Ricky’s wife, singer Sharon White. Given the strange, convoluted tabloid nature of today’s culture, countless real and would-be performers with only an iota of achievement garner far more ink than Ricky Skaggs; he’s not a gangsta, a doper, a philanderer or a high-profile scenester. He just sings and picks. But when the ink is dry, the calendar turns, the papers line the bird-cage and then hit the dumpster, only the music remains. Ricky Skaggs is the music. And how hip is that? Kay Clary / Donica Christensen ~ Commotion PR kay@commotionpr.com | donica@commotionpr.com 615.467.6677 |
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