Franklin, NC – Ricky Skaggs, a 14-time Grammy award winner with a passion for music of all genres and a very successful career as a county and bluegrass musician, will perform at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts on Friday, July 3. The show will begin at 7:30 pm and tickets start at $25 each.
As a young boy, Ricky Skaggs developed a passion for music. At the age of five, he began to plan the mandolin. He performed on stage at the age of six, and at age seven he made his first television appearance. As a teenager he met Keith Whitley and started playing radio shows alongside Whitley and his brother, Dwight. The group earned a spot opening for Ralph Stanley and soon after, Skaggs and Whitley were invited to join Stanley’s band, the Clinch Mountain Boys. A few years later, Skaggs formed the progressive bluegrass band Boone Creek. He also spent time as a member of Emmylou Harris’s Hot Band.
In 1980, Skaggs launched his own country career. That led to twelve number one hits, eight Country Music Association awards, and eight Academy of Country Music awards. He became a member of the Grand Ole Opry in 1982 and was the youngest artist to ever be inducted at that time. In the 1990s, Skaggs returned to his bluegrass roots and he and his band, Kentucky Thunder, went on to win multiple Grammy awards and Bluegrass Music Association awards.
Throughout his career, Skaggs has performed with many great artists including Vince Gill, Clint Black, Joe Diffie, Merle Haggard, Alison Krauss, Randy Travis, Dwight Yoakam, Dolly Parton, and Travis Tritt – to name a few. He has mastered many instruments including the mandolin, fiddle, guitar, mandocaster, and banjo. Some of his notable hits include, “Lovin’ Only Me,” “Cajun Moon,” “Country Boy,” and “I Wouldn’t Change You If I Could.”
Late last year, Skaggs released an album he recorded with his wife and celebrated artist, Sharon White. Hearts Like Ours was a dream come true for the pair and features the couple duetting on handpicked country love songs. Fans can also look forward to his autobiography, Kentucky Traveler: My Life in Music, which will be in stores August 13.
Ricky Skaggs has often said he is, “just trying to make a living,” playing the music he loves, and he’s spent over 50 years doing just that. He is in the middle of an intense tour that will take him from coast to coast and the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts is thrilled to be one of his stops. To purchase tickets, or to find out more information about this or any other show at the Smoky Mountain Center of the Performing Arts, visit GreatMountainMusic.com or call (866) 273-4615.
About the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts
The Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts, located in Franklin, North Carolina, is a modern 1,500 seat facility featuring a state-of-the-art, concert-grade sound system. The Center showcases artists from Western North Carolina and the surrounding areas and seeks to nurture the development, understanding, and appreciation of the arts throughout the community and the region. To purchase tickets to any performance at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts, to get more information, or to see a schedule of coming events, visit GreatMountainMusic.com or call 866.273.4615.
