SkaggS, Ricky

SkaggS, Ricky, bluegrass multi-instrumentalist and bandleader, b. near Cordell, Ky., July 18, 1954. Hailing from a musical family, Ricky Skaggs is one of the few artists who has successfully crossed over from traditional bluegrass to mainstream country while still maintaining his basic sound and style intact. He was one of the first new country stars of the early 1980s who pointed the direction for a return to country’s roots in repertoire and style. Although he has not been as consistently popular as some of the more flashy acts who have followed his lead, Skaggs remains an important force in country music today.

A multi-instrumentalist, Skaggs began his career while still in high school with his friend Keith Whitley, performing mandolin-guitar duets in a traditional style derived from country’s brother acts. The duo were particularly enamored of the Stanley Brothers sound, and they soon found themselves performing as members of Ralph Stanley’s band. Poor pay and a grueling touring schedule led to Skaggs’s retirement and brief employment as an electric-company worker in a suburban Washington power plant. There, he began performing with a later version of the progressive bluegrass band, The Country Gentlemen.

In the early 1970s, he joined briefly with J.D. Crowe’s groundbreaking bluegrass ensemble, The New South, along with ace guitarist/vocalist Tony Rice. Determined to modernize and popularize the bluegrass sound, he formed his own progressive band, Boone Creek, with dobro player Jerry Douglas, who has appeared on many of Skaggs’s recordings, and singer/guitarist Terry Baucom. By the late 1970s, he was working as a backup musician for Emmylou Harris, helping mold her new traditional approach on landmark albums such as Roses in the Snow.

Blessed with a unique, high-tenor voice, Skaggs recorded his first solo album in a contemporary country vein for the bluegrass label, Sugar Hill, while at the same time he made a duet album with Rice featuring just their guitar and mandolin and vocal harmonies in an homage to the 1930s country sound. He was quickly signed to CBS, and had a string of hits in the early 1980s with his unique adaptations of bluegrass and country standards of the 1950s. In fact, his cover of Bill Monroe’s “Uncle Pen” in 1984 was the first bluegrass song to hit #1 on the country charts since 1949. He also was one of the first new country artists to tour Europe, scoring great success in England where he performed with diverse artists from Elvis Costello to Nick Lowe.

The mid-1980s found Skaggs teetering on the edge of a more pop-country sound, but basically he has stuck close to his country roots in choice of material and performance. He married country vocalist Sharon White of the Whites, and produced some of their successful recordings of the 1980s. While Skaggs’ more recent recordings have not been as successful on the country charts, he continues to be influential as an instrumentalist and producer. He returned to his bluegrass/country swing roots as a member of Mark O’Connor’s New Nashville Cats band, which featured another crossover artist from bluegrass, Vince Gill. Skaggs continues to represent bluegrass music on awards programs, often performing with such veterans as Bill Monroe and his old mentor, Ralph Stanley.

Dlscography

Sweet Temptation (1979); Waitin’for the Sun to Shine (1981); Highways and Heartaches (1982); Don’t Cheat on Our Hometown (1983); Love’s Gonna Get Ya! (1986); Comin’ Home to Stay (1987); Kentucky Thunder (1987); My Father’s Son (1991); Solid Ground (1995); Bluegrass Rules! (1997).

—Richard Carlin