By TIM PRESTON - The Independent
LOUISA — Bluegrass and gospel legend Ricky Skaggs has been signed to perform in his hometown during the 2010 Lawrence County Septemberfest celebration in Louisa.
Michelle Brimm, a spokeswoman for Skaggs Family Records, confirmed the highly-acclaimed artist will perform live in Louisa at 9 p.m. on Sept. 11.
Skaggs was born in 1954 in the rural community of Blaine (often cited as Cordell) in Lawrence County and was recognized for his skills as a virtuoso mandolin player at an early age. Local musicians still tend to tell stories of Skaggs performing live as a young child requiring a boost from a milk crate to make him tall enough for his instrument to be picked up by a microphone. At the age of five he played with bluegrass icon Bill Monroe, and a year later performed with the legendary duo of Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs on the Martha White country music variety hour.
As a teen, Skaggs teamed up with another prodigious young musician, Keith Whitley and both were later invited to become members of Ralph Stanley’s Clinch Mountain Boys. With initial success as a country musician, Skaggs embraced his traditional bluegrass roots and began experimenting with new sounds as part of his band Kentucky Thunder. He has since shared stages and studios with a staggering variety of musicians and bands ranging from Phish to Bruce Hornsby, The Whites and the Raconeurs.
While most-often recognized as a mandolin player, Skaggs is also proficient as a guitarist, fiddler and banjo player.
Skaggs’ music and contribution to the industry has been recognized with numerous Grammy Awards, IBMA Awards, CMA Awards and designations including Billboard magazine’s Artist of the Year, and CMT’s “40 Greatest Men of Country Music.”
