Bluegrass and Country Music icon RICKY SKAGGS has just about done it all over the course of his 50+ years in music. With hundreds of career accolades and countless life experiences under his belt, Skaggs certainly has a story to tell.
Now, for the first time, Skaggs is ready to tell the story of his life with the release of his personal autobiography, "KENTUCKY TRAVELER" (It Books).
"Kentucky Traveler" is an honest, deeply American story of the power of faith, family, and music from one of America's most beloved Bluegrass and Country artists.
Unlike other farm boys growing up in the small town of Cordell, Kentucky, Skaggs learned to play the mandolin at five years old. Sure, plenty of other mountain boys plucked guitars or fiddles, or learned the old songs their grandparents taught them. But few tried and fewer still mastered the mandolin. By the time he was six years old, Skaggs' talent was clear enough that his daddy knew he had to get that boy onstage. When Bluegrass master and mandolin virtuoso Bill Monroe rolled into a nearby small town, Ricky was there. As the crowd cheered, "Let little Ricky sing one!" so began a storied life in music.
With Monroe as a mentor and with a family who supported him at every turn, Skaggs joined the Clinch Mountain Boys band and became a professional musician at age fifteen. By twenty-one he was already considered a star in the Bluegrass world. Skaggs would eventually move away from his roots into the world of mainstream country music—and in doing so, became a country legend and a household name.
Despite the hit singles, gold records, and successful tours, Skaggs knew there was more to his mission. With a failed marriage and a sometimes strained relationship with his children, Skaggs had to make a choice. He would follow God's plan, and rededicate his life to Christ, to his family, and to the music that made him. He would carry the torch lit by his musical heroes Ralph Stanley, Earl Scruggs, and Bill Monroe and, most important, live the life and play the music that would make his mom and dad proud. Telling the intimate stories of a successful career built on passion, drive, and faith, sharing tales of his influences, and fondly recalling the instruments that have shaped his sound over the years and the friendships that have shaped his life, Skaggs paints a unique insider look at the evolution of bluegrass.
In "Kentucky Traveler," the music legend who revived modern Bluegrass music, Ricky Skaggs, gives a warm, honest, one-of-a-kind memoir of decades in music—along with the Ten Commandments of Bluegrass, as handed down by Skaggs' mentor Bill Monroe; the Essential Guide to Bedrock Country Songs, a lovingly compiled walk through the songs that have moved Skaggs the most throughout his life; Songs the Lord Taught Us, a primer on Skaggs’ most essential Gospel songs; and a bevy of personal snapshots of his musical heroes. For readers of Johnny Cash’s autobiography, lovers of "O Brother Where Art Thou," and fans of Country music and Bluegrass, "Kentucky Traveler" is a priceless look at America’s most cherished and vibrant musical tradition through the eyes of someone who has lived it.
"Kentucky Traveler" is available for pre-order now at kentuckytravelerbook.com and will be available in retail stores nationwide upon its August 13 release.
About Ricky Skaggs
With 12 #1 hit singles, 14 GRAMMY® Awards, eleven IBMA Awards, eight ACM Awards and eight CMA Awards (including Entertainer of the Year), Ricky Skaggs is truly a pioneer of Bluegrass and Country music. Since he began playing music more than 50 years ago, Skaggs has released more than 30 albums and has performed thousands of live shows. Skaggs and his band, Kentucky Thunder, continue to keep the tour trail red hot, performing more than 80 live dates each year. Skaggs started his own record label, Skaggs Family Records, in 1997 and has since released 12 consecutive GRAMMY®-nominated albums.
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