Ricky Skaggs

The great Chet Atkins once credited Ricky Skaggs with “single-handedly saving country music.”

Atkins was talking about the early ’80s, when Ricky’s hot picking and traditional-sounding tunes took over the charts at a time when country had been sliding into pop-music styles.

Ricky definitely had the credentials for this role: He was already an accomplished singer and mandolin player by his teenage years in Eastern Kentucky. In fact, he showed signs of his eventual stardom in early guest spots with the likes of Bill Monroe and Flatt & Scruggs.

The child of a musical family, he entered the world of professional music with another future star, his friend Keith Whitley. Bluegrass pioneer Ralph Stanley took the young musicians under his wing in 1971. Stints with other top acts during the next decade—including J.D. Crowe, the Country Gentlemen, and Emmylou Harris—helped build Ricky’s reputation for creativity and musical drive. The 1975 debut LP of J.D. Crowe & the New South, with Ricky in a key role, has won credit as one of the most influential of bluegrass albums. Forming the band Boone Creek brought Ricky to center stage, where he’s remained since.

Beginning in the late 1970s, Ricky turned his attention to mainstream country music. With the release of Waitin’ for the Sun to Shine in 1981, Ricky moved to the top of the country charts. He remained there through most of the 1980s—earning a spot in Billboard’s Top 20 artists of the decade and Top 100 of the past 50 years. He garnered eight awards from the Country Music Association, including Entertainer of the Year in 1985, nine Grammys, and dozens of other honors.

With exposure spanning from Opry appearances—he joined in 1982—to streaming on the Internet, Ricky has more recently become a leading exponent of bluegrass. Key to that was his Grammy-winning album Bluegrass Rules! Coming as a new generation of fans explored the music’s origins, the disc joined Ricky’s roots and experience with classic material from the first generation of bluegrass masters.

Along with his great band Kentucky Thunder, Ricky won a Grammy for his tune “Simple Life” from the Live at the Charleston Music Hall album. Subsequent bluegrass releases included his first gospel CD, Soldier of the Cross; a tribute album to bluegrass legend Bill Monroe, Big Mon; and Brand New Strings, a disc focused on new material in bluegrass style. Brand New Strings, earned Skaggs a brand new Grammy.

Two more Grammy Awards were added to Ricky's mantle in 2006; one for his contribution to Songs from the Neighborhood: the Music of Mister Rogers and the other for an album devoted entirely to instrumentals. Ricky collaborated with The Whites on their most recent project, Salt of the Earth, which earned him his thirteenth Grammy award as the Whites collected their second.

Ricky continues to actively tour with his band Kentucky Thunder while mentoring up-and-coming artists for his label, Skaggs Family Records.