Ricky Skaggs

To say that he is a multi-instrumentalist would be total understatement - Ricky Skaggs is one of the true heroes of those who love traditional country music that keeps the roots of the music alive. He is a master picker on guitar, mandolin, fiddle and banjo and had a career that started in traditional bluegrass, turned to electrified country music and went back to classic bluegrass again. At age 15 he joined Ralph Stanley's band, in 1977 he became a member of Emmylou Harris' Hot Band and finally, in 1981 he got his own recording contract with Epic Records. Major success came immediately, he scored five #1 hits in 1982 and 1983 ("Cyring My Heart Out Over You", "I Don't Care", "Heartbroke", "I Wouldn't Change You If I Could" (with Lloyd Green on steel!) and "Highway 40 Blues". His albums of that period are classics, combining traditional and modern sounds. Lloyd Green can be heard on several tracks like "You've Got A Lover" and the beautiful duet between Ricky and his wife Sharon White, "Home Is Wherever You Are".