Ricky Skaggs (born July 18 1954 in Lawrence County, Kentucky) is a country music musician, singer and composer. Skaggs' first major professional break came in 1970 when he joined Ralph Stanley's legendary bluegrass band, the Clinch Mountain Boys . He is an acknowledged vituoso on the mandolin and also plays fiddle, guitar, banjo and several wind instruments and for part of his career was a member of Emmylou Harris's "Hot Band". He wrote the arrangements for Harris' highly revered bluegrass-roots album, Roses In The Snow. In addition to arranging, Skaggs also sang harmony and played a number of instruments on the album, including mandolin and fiddle.

Skaggs moved to Nashville in 1980 where he produce his debut album, Waitin' For The Sun To Shine. The album produced four chart singles including two back-to-back number ones. Building on that success he went on to almost singlehandedly, rescue country music from the doldrums it found itself in the 1970s. He joined the Grand Ole Opry in 1982 - at that time the youngest member to be included. He racked up an impressive 18 Top Ten singles with 12 topping the charts. Skaggs picked up dozens of industry awards in the ensuing years including four Grammys and eight awards from the Country Music Association.

His dedication to the music and the traditional bluegrass style has endeared him to many fans and he has become a country music icon. Says Skaggs, "I always want to try to promote the old music as well as trying to grow and be a pioneer, too."

Major Awards and Accomplishments

• CMA Entertainer of the year
• R&R Best New Artist
• Four time Grammy Award Recipient
• Billboard magazine's Artist of the Year
• Musician Magazine- Voted One of the Top 100 Guitarists of the Century
• Artist of the Decade- Listeners' Poll Award BBC Radio 2

Discography

• Second Generation Bluegrass (with Keith Whitley) 1971
• That's It 1975
• Sweet Temptation 1979
• Skaggs & Rice (with Tony Rice) 1980
• Waitin' For The Sun To Shine 1981
• Highway & Heartaches 1982
• Family & Friends 1982
• Don't Cheat In Our Hometown 1983
• Country Boy 1984
• Favorite Country Songs 1985
• Live In London 1985
• Love's Gonna Get Ya! 1986
• Comin' Home To Stay 1988
• Kentucky Thunder 1989
• My Father's Son 1991
• Ricky Skaggs Portrait 1992
• Super Hits 1993
• Solid Ground 1995
• Life Is A Journey 1997
• Bluegrass Rules (with Kentucky Thunder) 1997
• Ancient Tones (with Kentucky Thunder) 1999
• History of the Future (with Kentucky Thunder) 2001
• Live at the Charleston Music Hall (with Kentucky Thunder) 2003
• BRAND NEW STRINGS (with Kentucky Thunder) 2004

External links

• Official site
• Ricky Skaggs Biography
• 1997 Interview with Ricky Skaggs