Honoring the Fathers of Bluegrass: Tribute to 1946 & 1947

Performer: Ricky Skaggs
Engineer: Brent King
Producer: Ricky Skaggs
Distributor: Fontana Distribution

Notes: Ricky Skaggs: Ricky Skaggs (vocals, mandolin). Personnel: Del McCoury, Paul Brewster (tenor); Darrin Vincent (baritone); Jim Mills (bass voice, banjo); Cody Kilby (guitar, guitars); Earl Scruggs (banjo); Andy Leftwich (fiddle). Audio Mixer: Brent King. Liner Note Author: Ricky Skaggs. Recording information: Skaggs Place Recording Studio, Hendersonville, TN. Photographers: John Hood; Erick Anderson ; Gordon Gillingham; Ricky Skaggs. Bluegrass guitar god Ricky Skaggs is best known as one of the flagship practitioners of contemporary bluegrass and one of the style's most successful modernists, but HONORING THE FATHERS OF BLUEGRASS is strictly an old-school endeavor. Here Skaggs and his band perform the repertoire of Bill Monroe's 1946-47 band, which included the famed Flatt & Scruggs alongside Chubby Wise and Howard Watts. This seminal ensemble laid the groundwork for bluegrass, and Skaggs and company pay reverent tribute to their style and songs. Their version of "Goin' Back to Old Kentucky" even features a guest appearance from Earl Scruggs himself, with the proverbial circle remaining unbroken. Things close out with another great guest shot, as Del McCoury chimes in with Skaggs on "The Old Crossroad."

Dirty Linen (p.74) - "Ricky Skaggs and his sextet, Kentucky Thunder, not only pay homage to the past, but through their harmonies and flawless picking, breathe new life into time-honored classics." Mojo (Publisher) (p.101) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "Sprightly songs about dead parents, Jesus and little cabin homes are performed with breathtaking precision."

With a thorough knowledge of bluegrass and vintage country music, Ricky Skaggs helped bring back a sense of tradition and history to that scene during the 1980s. Skaggs has lent his guitar, mandolin, and fiddle talents--as well as his high-lonesome voice--to a host of country music greats including Johnny Cash, the Stanley Brothers, and Emmylou Harris, and has also proven to be a successful solo artist despite a penchant for the less commercial threads of the genre. After being dropped by Atlantic Records in the early '90s, Skaggs started the Skaggs Family label to release his own albums and nurture the careers of other traditionally minded country artists.

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