Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Ricky Skaggs - Country Boy at Heart



The Country Music Hall of Fame has a program called the Artist-In-Residence.  It honors a musical master who can be credited with contributing a large and significant body of work to the canon of American popular music.  Honorees are given a blank canvas and are encouraged to lend their own creative brushstrokes to an up-close-and-personal musical experience.  This year's artist was Ricky Scaggs.  We have an annual membership to The Hall, so we got advance notice of tickets and ordered early.

 The show began a few minutes late - he claims he was stuck in traffic.  
I, for one, don't doubt it!  
 Her performed with The Whites.  Sharon White (closest to him) is his wife of 32 years.  Her sister and father (playing the piano) are the other members of The Whites.
 Brad Paisley joined the fun.
 After intermission, he came out with Sharon and Cheryl and said that since The Hall spent so much money on their recent upgrades, he thought they should try singing a cappella.  Wow! 
 Emmy Lou Harris and Linda Ronstadt were actually two of his earliest supporters.  They gave him his start on tv to help expand his audience.  Linda Ronstadt was unable to perform - she was recently diagnosed with Parkinsons Disease and can no longer perform.  Emmy Lou Harris joined him for a couple songs, and a couple stories.  She told about the first time they all sang together for a tv show and during editing they cut Ricky's part and it ended up on the cutting room floor.
 Another special guest was his daughter, Molly.  She plays the banjo (and probably a few more instruments) and has a lovely voice.  And she thinks her dad is awesome.
This is Ricky Skaggs on the left, Brad Paisley on the right, and that guy in the middle?  Peter Frampton.  Yup, that Peter Frampton.  He's this little, unassuming guy who came out in his Chuck Taylors and absolutely rocked.  That man can still play a guitar!  He recently recorded some songs with Ricky Skaggs for a gospel album.  Album?  I mean CD of course!!  

Where else would you ever see that trio on stage performing together?

Only in Nashvegas Baby - Music City.

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