{"id":1312562,"date":"2019-07-18T11:04:56","date_gmt":"2019-07-18T17:04:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cmt.com\/news\/?p=1809213"},"modified":"2019-07-18T11:04:56","modified_gmt":"2019-07-18T17:04:56","slug":"at-65-ricky-skaggs-rises-from-country-boy-to-elder-stateman","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/music-news\/at-65-ricky-skaggs-rises-from-country-boy-to-elder-stateman\/","title":{"rendered":"At 65, Ricky Skaggs Rises From \u201cCountry Boy\u201d to Elder Stateman"},"content":{"rendered":"<div><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/cmt.mtvnimages.com\/uri\/mgid:ao:image:cmt.com:678387?width=1200&amp;height=675&amp;.jpg\" class=\"ff-og-image-inserted\"><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"byline\">by <span class=\"author\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.cmt.com\/news\/author\/morrise\/\" title=\"Posts by Edward Morris\" rel=\"author\">Edward Morris<\/a><\/span> <span class=\"date\">6m ago<\/span><\/span> <\/p>\n<p>Today is Ricky Skaggs\u2019 65th birthday, and while he\u2019s years away from being declared the Grand Old Man of Bluegrass (the substantially older Osborne Brothers, Del McCoury and Jesse McReynolds still walk among us), Skaggs, with his avuncular smile and mane of snow-white hair, is unquestionably a revered member of the genre\u2019s Council of Elders.<\/p>\n<p>But let\u2019s flash back 38 years to when Skaggs was making his first confident steps in a new direction.<\/p>\n<div class=\"deferred_content\">Embedded from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/PFoiSFpN_us?feature=oembed\">www.youtube.com<\/a>. <noscript class=\"deferred_content\" data-deferred-info=\"{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;iframe&quot;}\"><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/PFoiSFpN_us?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\">[embedded content]<\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><\/noscript><\/div>\n<p>You had to be living in Nashville back then to fully understand the excitement Skaggs brought to country music, beginning with the release in May 1981 of his first major label album, <em>Waitin\u2019 for the Sun to Shine<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>At the time, country was still in the throes of the western-tinged <em>Urban Cowboy<\/em> movie, which, while a welcome shot of publicity for the format, also gave rise to some incredibly shallow songs. On the plus side, Alabama \u2014 the group \u2014 was avalanching into its own with a rock beat, creamy vocal harmonies and irresistible lyrics and melodies.<\/p>\n<div class=\"deferred_content\">Embedded from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/e9jT4azbkME?feature=oembed\">www.youtube.com<\/a>. <noscript class=\"deferred_content\" data-deferred-info=\"{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;iframe&quot;}\"><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/e9jT4azbkME?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\">[embedded content]<\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><\/noscript><\/div>\n<p>Skaggs\u2019 music partook of neither of these influences. His up-front nasalized vocals, largely acoustic instrumentation and jazzed up versions of bluegrass and country standards blew through like nothing else on country radio. It stood apart from bluegrass chiefly because it included drums and piano and because there was no domineering banjo, no overlong fiddling and no weak \u201clittle darlin\u2019\u201d lyrics. As his own producer \u2014 a rarity back then \u2014 Skaggs knew precisely what he wanted.<\/p>\n<p>Although those of us who were into bluegrass were familiar with Skaggs \u2014 I had seen him play with the Country Gentlemen in the early \u201870s \u2014 he was a new name and sound to regular country fans. But he wasn\u2019t long in catching on.<\/p>\n<div class=\"deferred_content\">Embedded from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/X3K4ZzTlwLU?feature=oembed\">www.youtube.com<\/a>. <noscript class=\"deferred_content\" data-deferred-info=\"{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;iframe&quot;}\"><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/X3K4ZzTlwLU?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\">[embedded content]<\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><\/noscript><\/div>\n<p>At the CMA Awards show in October 1981, a friend and I found ourselves seated directly beside Skaggs and his wife, Sharon White, in the balcony of the Grand Ole Opry House. That we were in the balcony and not downstairs showed our relative importance in the scheme of things.<\/p>\n<p>My friend, also a Skaggs fan, paged through the printed program until she came to the category that listed the nominees for male vocalist of the year. She penciled in Skaggs\u2019 name and showed it to him. He laughed uneasily and returned his gaze to the stage.<\/p>\n<div class=\"deferred_content\">Embedded from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/qIxgqdLDnFI?feature=oembed\">www.youtube.com<\/a>. <noscript class=\"deferred_content\" data-deferred-info=\"{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;iframe&quot;}\"><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/qIxgqdLDnFI?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\">[embedded content]<\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><\/noscript><\/div>\n<p>But my friend was prescient. The next year, the CMA did award Skaggs the male vocalist prize. By this time, he\u2019d scored three No. 1 singles \u2014 \u201cCrying My Heart Out Over You,\u201d a Flatt &amp; Scruggs cover; \u201cI Don\u2019t Care\u201d a Webb Pierce cover; and \u201cHeartbroke,\u201d a Guy Clark song from Skaggs\u2019 second album, <em>Highways &amp; Heartaches<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>Eight more No. 1 and six Top 10 country songs lay ahead. One of these \u2014 \u201cCountry Boy\u201d in 1985, the year Skaggs was voted CMA\u2019s Entertainer of the Year \u2014 was accompanied by a music video of historic importance because of all the bases it covered.<\/p>\n<div class=\"deferred_content\">Embedded from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/uPVxomP9BiA?feature=oembed\">www.youtube.com<\/a>. <noscript class=\"deferred_content\" data-deferred-info=\"{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;iframe&quot;}\"><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/uPVxomP9BiA?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\">[embedded content]<\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><\/noscript><\/div>\n<p>In 1984, Skaggs had a No. 1 with \u201cUncle Pen,\u201d a Bill Monroe classic which Monroe had written to honor the uncle who musically inspired him. The \u201cCountry Boy\u201d video was shot in New York City, and here was the plot: Skaggs\u2019 \u201cUncle Pen,\u201d played by a severe-looking Monroe, comes to New York to chastise his nephew (Skaggs) for \u201cgetting way above his raising\u201d and turning from a rural lad into a tailored-suited city slicker.<\/p>\n<p>Skaggs picks up his guitar and commences playing to demonstrate he\u2019s still \u201ca country boy at heart.\u201d It gets crazy from there. Skaggs, still dressed like a toff, and his uncle roam the streets of New York. At one point, a cabbie looks up and mouths the words of the song. Of course, it isn\u2019t a real cabbie, it\u2019s the then-mayor of New York, Ed Koch. Monroe rides the subway and gets into a cultural (and financial) exchange with a throng of break dancers. Broadway dancer Charlotte d\u2019Amboise make an appearance, as does actor David Keith.<\/p>\n<div class=\"deferred_content\">Embedded from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/l_QheuTi8Q8?feature=oembed\">www.youtube.com<\/a>. <noscript class=\"deferred_content\" data-deferred-info=\"{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;iframe&quot;}\"><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/l_QheuTi8Q8?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\">[embedded content]<\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><\/noscript><\/div>\n<p>It was a complete mini-movie that touched on everything from the supposed conflict between country and bluegrass to the importance of Monroe as the father of bluegrass and the arbiter of what kind of music can and can\u2019t legitimately bear that name. Most of all it was fun.<\/p>\n<p>In the early 2000s, Skaggs made a triumphant return to bluegrass with his dazzling band, Kentucky Thunder. But he\u2019s had a lasting impact on traditional country music, a fact made emphatic when, in 2018, he was welcomed into the Country Music Hall of Fame.<\/p>\n<div class=\"deferred_content\">Embedded from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/WIFKxHNj6Iw?feature=oembed\">www.youtube.com<\/a>. <noscript class=\"deferred_content\" data-deferred-info=\"{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;iframe&quot;}\"><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/WIFKxHNj6Iw?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\">[embedded content]<\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><\/noscript><\/div>\n<div class=\"author\">\n<div class=\"description\">Edward Morris is a veteran of country music journalism. He lives in Nashville, Tennessee, and is a frequent contributor to CMT.com.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.cmt.com\/news\/1809213\/at-65-ricky-skaggs-rises-from-country-boy-to-elder-stateman\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">via:: CMT News<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>by Edward Morris 6m ago Today is Ricky Skaggs\u2019 65th birthday, and while he\u2019s years away from being declared the Grand Old Man of Bluegrass (the substantially older Osborne Brothers, Del McCoury and Jesse McReynolds still walk among us), Skaggs, with his avuncular smile and mane of snow-white hair, is unquestionably a revered member of [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[159],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-1312562","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-music-news"},"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-06-13 00:56:31","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSKE Ski Country","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1312562","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1312562"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1312562\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1312562"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1312562"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1312562"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}