Grand Ole Opry Member Spotlight: Ricky Skaggs

Grand Ole Opry Country Music Show - Nashville

Dierks Bentley - The Opry's Youngest Member

He might look like a city-slicker, but Ricky Skaggs is just a country boy at heart. Credited with kick-starting the new traditional movement of the 1980s, Skaggs played a pivotal role in maintaining the style of more traditional country music during an era when the genre was merging more and more with pop. With bluegrass roots and a skill at both pickin' and singin', Skaggs has earned nearly a dozen Grammy Awards and ten International Bluegrass Association Awards.

Background and Early Career

• Ricky Skaggs was born July 18, 1954 in Cordell, Kentucky, and had mastered the mandolin by the time he was a teenager. (Skaggs is also a skilled fiddle, guitar, and banjo player). In his early years, Skaggs played alongside other legends and masters in bluegrass, including Ralph Stanley, Bill Monroe, Flatt & Scruggs, Emmylou Harris, and others.
• In 1980, Skaggs signed with Sony Records, releasing his debut album, Waitin' for the Sun to Shine, in 1981. That album produced four hits — including two Number 1 chart-toppers — and musical magic has occurred for Ricky Skaggs ever since.

Grand Ole Opry Induction

• Ricky Skaggs was inducted as a member of the Grand Ole Opry on May 15, 1982.

Ricky Skaggs at the Opry

• Ricky Skaggs makes frequent appearances at the Grand Ole Opry with his band, Kentucky Thunder. To see if Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder will be at the Opry in the upcoming weeks, please visit the VME Grand Ole Opry Blog.

Notable Hits

• Heartbroke
• Country Boy
• Uncle Pen
• You've Got a Lover
• Highway 40 Blues
• Don't Cheat in Our Hometown
• Don't Get Above Your Raising
• You May See Me Walkin'
• Crying My Heart Out Over You
• I Don't Care
• I Wouldn't Change You If I Could
• Something in My Heart
• Lovin' Only Me

More Information

• See the complete list of current Grand Ole Opry members!