LEXINGTON HERALD-LEADER
By Walter Tunis Contributing music columnist Updated October 04, 2024 9:17 AM
Article at: https://www.kentucky.com/entertainment/music-news-reviews/article293185789.html#storylink=cpy
As he engages in internal ciphering to determine the elapsed time since his career switched from the traditionally minded country music he took to the top of the charts during the ’80s back to the bluegrass roots of his youth, Ricky Skaggs recalled an instance when a musical forefather was confronted with a similar query.
Actually, the artist in question held higher credentials than mere forefather. He was Bill Monroe, the long-canonized Father of Bluegrass.
“I should be like Mr. Monroe,” Skaggs confessed. “He was doing an interview with some smart aleck that asked him one time, ‘Let’s see, how old are you Mr. Monroe?’ And he would say, ‘Well, I was born in 1911. You figure it up.’”
The figure Skaggs was searching for as relating to his own music-making was, rounded up to the nearest decade, 30 years. It was in 1997 that Skaggs released “Bluegrass Rules,” a 14-song set of tunes by Monroe, one-time employer Ralph Stanley, Earl Scruggs and himself. The record earned the Lawrence County native and Kentucky Music and Bluegrass Hall of Famer one of his 15 Grammy Awards, cemented the scholarly string music command of his Kentucky Thunder band.
And it reaffirmed the inspirations that established his musical voice along country hits like “Highway 40 Blues,” “Country Boy” and “Heartbroke” that made Skaggs one of country music’s leading neo-traditionalists of the early ‘80s.
Of course, bluegrass connected him to Monroe, Flatt & Scruggs, Stanley and a brief but groundbreaking tenure with Kentucky banjo great J.D. Crowe before a late ’70s stay in Emmylou Harris’ Hot Band served as a segue way to country stardom. But as he prepared for a home state return this weekend at Renfro Valley, Skaggs was in a reflective mood. He turned 70 in July and now fronts a Kentucky Thunder lineup of masterful players of a considerably younger vintage.
“When I first started the bluegrass band in ’96 and came back from the country days to do ‘Bluegrass Rules,’ the players were, like, one generation removed. But now, it’s definitely two generations. These young musicians are just incredible, though, when I see their abilities and see what they can bring.
“I think about Gavin (Kelso), our bass player, who grew up listening to Steely Dan and groups like that and had never really played that much bluegrass. But when he came to play with us … man, we hadn’t felt that kind of tempo lock in a long time. He has just made a big, big difference with us. I think about Bryan Sutton, Cody Kilby and Jake Workman, all them great, great players who have worked with me and all of them (International Bluegrass Music Association/IBMA) Guitar Players of the Year. We have just been blessed to find really, really good players.
“It’s almost like how Duke Ellington had all these great musicians that would come through his band and go on to be super famous and be stalwarts of other great bands. So, everything here is good.”
Influence of J.D. Crowe’s New South
When talking of the successes of the bluegrass band that post-dated his country career, Skaggs rightfully acknowledges another that prefaced it – namely, the first lineup of Crowe’s acclaimed New South that included guitarist Tony Rice, dobroist Jerry Douglas and bassist/fiddler Bobby Slone. The lineup’s self-titled 1975 album, and an accompanying Lexington performance residency at the Holiday Inn on Newtown Pike, were collectively viewed as a major inspiration on successive generations of bluegrass players.
In April, the album, which Skaggs refers to by its Rounder Records catalog number (“Double Aught 44”), was one of 25 recordings added to the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry.
“Timing is a big thing for me,” Skaggs said. “Sometimes in other groups I was in, we never knew exactly where ‘1’ was when we kicked a tune off. Sometimes the banjo players would halt a little bit and not really set the time. J.D. would have the time set in his mind before he ever hit the strings. That’s how accurate he was. He just knew where it was going to be. So did Tony. So did I. That first mandolin chop, we just knew where ‘1’ was going to be. Timing is such an important part, to me, of a bluegrass band.
“That’s the way Kentucky Thunder works. I don’t want to compare them to J.D., but I’ll just say that this band has something really special in its abilities to move and flow with timing. I just think that’s one of the most important things about bluegrass.
“When I got in J.D.’s band, it felt like an old grandfather clock. It was if we were in the cog of a great, wonderfully made watch or clock. Once you’ve had that, you are never comfortable going back to something that is not that. You’re going to fuss and fight until you get that. J.D.’s music and his timing abilities were definitely things that I’ve really brought into my band.”
Skaggs’ far-reaching musical influence
The youthful lineage of players surrounding him in Kentucky Thunder played out in more far-reaching ways when Skaggs and his band played Lexington’s Railbird festival in 2023. Though the event covered numerous musical genres, the Sunday bill Skaggs helped complete was filled with younger, like-minded bluegrass, country and Americana stylists, several of whom have openly claimed Skaggs as an influence. Among them: Molly Tuttle, Sierra Ferrell, Nickel Creek, Town Mountain and another Lawrence County ambassador, headliner Tyler Childers.
“Well, it’s really humbling. It’s hard to describe, but that’s one of those things I don’t let get in my head. Still, these are things I reflect on from the past, because I know my music, my playing and just the statesmanship that I’ve been given over these years now that I’m quite the elder has given a little something to their lives. I can’t say that I’ve made any direct impact, but I know they’ve listened to the music.”
Similarly, Skaggs’ home state country/bluegrass contingency made sure to include him as part of the October 2022 Kentucky Rising concert, a sold-out performance at Rupp Arena that raised nearly $3 million in relief funds for victims of floods that devastated Eastern Kentucky and Central Appalachia the previous July. The bill consisted of Childers, Dwight Yoakam, Patty Loveless, S.G. Goodman and the concert’s organizer and headliner, Chris Stapleton.
“When Chris introduced me that night, I was so shocked by the applause. I mean, the place was packed. It was a wonderful feeling. Chris has been so good to me. Talk about another bluegrass implant from Kentucky (Stapleton was a member of the progressive bluegrass band The Steeldrivers prior to the start of his Grammy-winning country career). Look at what he has done beyond bluegrass and how he still loves it and still talks about it being a real building block in his life.
“I’m always thankful to get to play with those kinds of artists, especially Kentucky folks. I love ’em.”
Article at: https://www.kentucky.com/entertainment/music-news-reviews/article293185789.html#storylink=cpy