Welcome to The Back Forty where we highlight artists who might walk the line outside of the country chart with their music.
In the 1980s, Ricky Skaggs was at the forefront of the "new-traditionalist" movement. By combining contemporary sounds with the bluegrass and traditional music of his youth, Ricky's own unique style earned him an impressive collection of chart-topping hits such as "Highway 40 Blues," "Country Boy" and more. A number of awards – including the trophy for CMA Entertainer of the Year in 1985 – found their way on to his mantle as well.
When the late 90s hit, Ricky felt called to explore his bluegrass roots and released Bluegrass Rules! The album signified his return to the genre and was awarded a Grammy for Best Bluegrass Album of the Year. Despite being firmly devoted to bluegrass, Ricky has been known to explore other sounds from time to time as with his collaboration with Bruce Hornsby (2007's Ricky Skaggs and Bruce Hornsby) and 2010's Mosaic.
Ricky's latest album Music To My Ears pairs him with Barry Gibb for the moving "Soldier's Son" and includes a tribute to the late Doc Watson with Ricky's rendition of "Tennessee Stud."
Watch Kix's visit with Ricky as he shares his opinions on music today, talks about working with Barry Gibb and reflects on the past in this episode of The Back Forty:
Music To My Ears is available now. For more about the project and Ricky, visit RickySkaggs.com or SkaggsFamilyRecords.com.