Best of the Sugar Hill Years (Sugar Hill SUG-CD 4045, 2008) draws from Ricky Skaggs's late-1970s recordings — the solo debut Sweet Temptation (1979) and the Skaggs & Rice duet sessions with Tony Rice (1980) — made before he signed with Epic Records and crossed over to mainstream country stardom. Wes Golding (guitar), Terry Baucom (banjo), Jerry Douglas (dobro), and Steve Bryant (bass) form the core band. These sessions helped inspire Emmylou Harris's landmark Roses in the Snow (1980) and demonstrated that bluegrass could support sophisticated, commercially viable artistry. The compilation provides the most accessible overview of Skaggs's most purely traditional work, documenting a pivotal moment in the bluegrass revival when his musicianship was setting new standards for the genre.
Tracklist
- 1 Old Daniel Prayed alt version 2:25
- 2 I’ll Stay Around alt version 3:21
- 3 Bury Me Beneath the Willow alt version 2:43
- 4 Little Cabin Home on the Hill alt version 2:58
- 5 Drifting Too Far From the Shore alt version 3:11
- 6 Little Community Church 2:39
- 7 I’m Not Broke But I’m Badly Bent Source Recording 2:17
- 8 Head Over Heels alt version 2:34
- 9 The Old Crossroads alt version 2:43
- 10 No Mother or Dad alt version 2:56
- 11 If I Needed You alt version 3:44
- 12 Where the Soul of Man Never Dies alt version 2:36
- 13 I Know What it Means to Be Lonesome alt version 2:16