Nashville, Tenn. (April 9, 2021) — As the Class of 2021 gears up to graduate, Country Music Hall of Fame member Ricky Skaggs has a major reveal: nearly 50 years after leaving high school, he’s finally received his diploma.
On June 1, 2020, his alma mater, Lawrence County High School in Louisa, Kentucky, bestowed upon him an honorary high school diploma for all of his work in music. The surprise presentation happened as Skaggs, along with fellow alumni singer-songwriters Larry Cordle, Tyler Childers and others, were participating in a virtual high school graduation ceremony for the Lawrence County High School 2020 graduating class.
Dr. Robbie Fletcher, superintendent of Lawrence County Schools in Kentucky, presented Skaggs with the honor.
Skaggs would have graduated high school in 1971, but in lieu of receiving his diploma, he chose to hit the tour trail with Dr. Ralph Stanley, a decision that paid off. However, Skaggs always yearned to graduate high school, as it was one of his mother’s greatest desires. “It was an amazing surprise and answered prayer of my mom,” explains Skaggs. “She wanted me to graduate before I went full time with Ralph Stanley on the road. I was about as proud of that as anything I’ve been given.”
About Ricky Skaggs
Earning 12 #1 hit singles, 15 GRAMMY® Awards, 13 IBMA Awards, nine ACM Awards, eight CMA Awards (including Entertainer of the Year), two Dove Awards, the ASCAP Founders Award, three honorary Doctorate degrees, inductions into the Country Music Hall of Fame, IBMA Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame, National Fiddler Hall of Fame, Musicians Hall of Fame, and GMA Gospel Music Hall of Fame, the 2013 Artist-In-Residence at the Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum, an Americana Music Association Lifetime Achievement Award in the Instrumentalist category along with countless other awards, Ricky Skaggs is truly a pioneer of Bluegrass and Country music. Since he began playing music over 60 years ago, Skaggs has released more than 30 albums and has performed thousands of live shows. He started his own record label, Skaggs Family Records, in 1997 and has since released 12 consecutive GRAMMY®-nominated albums. His latest release, Hearts Like Ours, with his wife, celebrated artist Sharon White of The Whites features the couple dueting on handpicked country love songs. And the Grand Ole Opry member has released his first-ever autobiography, “Kentucky Traveler.” The book details the life and times of Skaggs and provides a descriptive history of Country and Bluegrass music, as told by the master himself. In addition to his regular touring schedule with his band, Kentucky Thunder, he has added country tour dates as he plugs in and plays full shows of his chart-topping hits. Skaggs was a 2020 recipient of the National Medal of Arts, the highest award given to artists and arts patrons by the United States government.