Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder
Contemporary Bluegrass
Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder is the bluegrass band Ricky Skaggs founded when he returned to his bluegrass roots in the mid-1990s, after a decade as one of the biggest names in mainstream country. A virtuoso mandolinist who started as a child prodigy sitting in with Bill Monroe, Skaggs has used Kentucky Thunder to define modern traditional bluegrass at its highest level — earning the band eight IBMA Instrumental Group of the Year awards and multiple Grammy Awards.
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- Rickie Lee Skaggs, born July 18, 1954, in Cordell, Kentucky; played mandolin on stage with Bill Monroe at age 6, appeared on Flatt and Scruggs' television show at age 7.
- Professional career began in 1970 when he and friend Keith Whitley were invited to join Ralph Stanley's Clinch Mountain Boys after a memorable show where Stanley arrived late and the two teenagers filled in convincingly with Stanley Brothers songs.
- Between 1973 and 1980, cycled through an extraordinary sequence of progressive bluegrass bands: the Country Gentlemen, J.D. Crowe and the New South (contributing to the landmark 0044 album), his own Boone Creek (with Jerry Douglas), and Emmylou Harris's Hot Band.
- Launched a solo country career in 1981 with Waitin' for the Sun to Shine; over the next decade recorded 12 #1 country singles and earned 8 CMA Awards including Entertainer of the Year (1985).
- Chet Atkins reportedly credited Skaggs with "single-handedly saving country music" — his neotraditional approach paved the way for Randy Travis, George Strait, and the New Traditionalist movement.
- Returned to acoustic bluegrass in 1996, founding Skaggs Family Records and forming Kentucky Thunder to tour in support of the 1997 album Bluegrass Rules!
- Kentucky Thunder won IBMA Instrumental Group of the Year eight times (1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, and others), and the band has earned seven Grammy Awards across albums including Bluegrass Rules!, Ancient Tones, Soldier of the Cross, Brand New Strings, Instrumentals, and Honoring the Fathers of Bluegrass.
- Member of the Grand Ole Opry since 1982 — the youngest inductee at the time of his induction.
- 15-time Grammy winner, inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame, the Musicians Hall of Fame, the National Fiddler Hall of Fame, and the Gospel Music Hall of Fame; awarded the National Medal of Arts in 2020.
- Skaggs Family Records has also served as a label home for The Whites (featuring his wife Sharon White), Del McCoury Band, Blue Moon Rising, and others.
- Current Kentucky Thunder lineup includes Russ Carson on banjo, Justus Ross on lead guitar, Gavin Kelso on bass, Mike Rogers on tenor vocals and rhythm guitar, Billy Contreras on fiddle, and Troy Engle on multiple instruments.
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Music to My Ears2012 · Skaggs Family 901013
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Honoring the Fathers of Bluegrass2008 · Skaggs Family 901008
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Instrumentals2006 · Skaggs Family SKFR 1007
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Live at the Charleston Music Hall2003 · Skaggs Family SKFR 1004-CD
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History of the Future2001 · Skaggs Family SKFR 6989010032
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Ancient Tones1999 · Skaggs Family SKFR 1001-CD
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Soldier of the Cross1999 · Skaggs Family SKFR-CD 5001
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Bluegrass Rules1997 · Rounder CD 0801
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Legacy: A Tribute to the First Generation of Bluegrass1997 · Sugar Hill SUG-CD 9202
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Ricky SkaggsPlayed on recordings with Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder
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Mark FainPlayed on recordings with Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder
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Paul BrewsterPlayed on recordings with Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder
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Bryan SuttonPlayed on recordings with Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder
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Bobby HicksPlayed on recordings with Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder
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Andy LeftwichPlayed on recordings with Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder
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Darrin VincentPlayed on recordings with Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder
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Jim MillsPlayed on recordings with Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder
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Jimmy StewartPlayed on recordings with Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder
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Cody KilbyPlayed on recordings with Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder
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Clay HessPlayed on recordings with Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder
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Stuart DuncanPlayed on recordings with Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder
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Marc PruettPlayed on recordings with Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder
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Barry BalesPlayed on recordings with Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder
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Justin MosesPlayed on recordings with Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder
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Dennis ParkerPlayed on recordings with Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder
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Jerry DouglasPlayed on recordings with Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder
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Catherine BownessPlayed on recording with Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder
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George ShufflerPlayed on recording with Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder
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John CowanPlayed on recording with Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder
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Ralph StanleyPlayed on recording with Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder
