TICKETS ON SALE FRIDAY, JULY 13 AT 10AM
San Antonio, July 9, 2012 – Fourteen-time GRAMMY® Award-winner
Ricky Skaggs’ career is easily among the most significant in recent
country music history. If Skaggs’ burgeoning trophy case full of awards
wasn’t already enough evidence of that fact, consider that legendary
guitarist Chet Atkins once credited Skaggs with “single-handedly saving
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.
Born
July 18, 1954 in Cordell, Kentucky, Skaggs showed signs of future
stardom at an early age, playing mandolin on stage with bluegrass
pioneer Bill Monroe at 5 and appearing on TV with Lester Flatt &
Earl Scruggs at 7. He emerged as a professional bluegrass musician in
1971, when he and his friend Keith Whitley were invited to join the
legendary Ralph Stanley’s band the Clinch Mountain Boys.
Skaggs
then went on to record and perform with progressive bluegrass acts like
the Country Gentlemen and J.D. Crowe & the New South, whose
self-titled 1975 Rounder Records debut album was instantly recognized as
a landmark bluegrass achievement. He then led Boone Creek, which also
featured Dobro Ace and fellow New South alumnus Jerry Douglas.
But
Skaggs turned to the more mainstream country music genre in the late
‘70s when he joined Emmylou Harris’s Hot Band, replacing Rodney Crowell.
He became a recording artist in his own right in 1981 when his Epic
label debut album Waitin’ for the Sun to Shine topped the country charts
and yielded a pair of #1 hits. Overall, his productive stay at Epic
Records would result in a total of 12 #1 hits. Additionally, he garnered eight Country Music Association Awards--including the coveted Entertainer of the Year trophy in 1985.
Skaggs,
of course, fit right in with young “new-traditionalist” ‘80s artists
like Randy Travis, and helped rejuvenate the country music genre after
the worn-out “Urban Cowboy” period. But, Skaggs put his own stamp on the
country format by infusing his bluegrass and traditional country music
roots into the contemporary Nashville sound.
Skaggs’
1997 album Bluegrass Rules!, released on his newly-formed Skaggs Family
Records label, marked a triumphant return to bluegrass—which he’s
solidified ever since with a series of GRAMMY® Award winning albums,
recorded with his amazing bluegrass band, Kentucky Thunder (8-time winners of the IBMA ‘Instrumental Group of the Year’).
Skaggs’ label has also served as a home for similar bluegrass and roots
music-oriented artists including Cherryholmes and The Whites.
2012
marks the 53rd year since Ricky struck his first chords on a mandolin,
and he continues to do his part to lead the recent roots revival in
music. Clearly 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.
Tickets for Ricky Skaggs ($40.00 - $25.00) will be available at all Ticketmaster outlets, including the Majestic Theatre Box Office, online at ticketmaster.com or charge by phone at 800.745.3000. All tickets subject to applicable service charges and fees.
For more information, visit rickyskaggs.com, skaggsfamilyrecords.com or majesticempire.com.