Ricky Skaggs Number One With Bill Monroe Tribute

Ricky Skaggs has recorded his fourth consecutive debut at #1 on Billboard’s bluegrass albums chart. The bluegrass star's latest CD, Honoring the Fathers of Bluegrass: Tribute to 1946 and 1947, salutes Bill Monroe and his "Original Bluegrass Band" (Earl Scruggs on banjo, guitarist Lester Flatt, fiddler Chubby Wise and bassist Howard Watts), a lineup that largely defined bluegrass as it's known today. Skaggs recently reflected on the release and his bluegrass background with the Associated Press. "There was just this new sound that emerged with those five guys," Skaggs said recently. "The music got more fiery." Together, they created a fresh vocabulary of licks, backup fills, vocal arrangements and rhythms. But many credit Scruggs' three-finger playing with really kicking things into high gear. Before Scruggs, most banjo players used two fingers. That third finger gave bluegrass its distinct drive. What Monroe was playing prior to Earl coming into the band was good music, but it had more of an old-time flavor," Skaggs said. On the new disc, Skaggs and his group Kentucky Thunder — a stellar outfit in their own right — interpret a dozen tunes from that era of Monroe's career, from staples like "Toy Heart" to the more obscure "Why Did You Wander." A 13-time Grammy winner, Skaggs plays mandolin like his musical hero, Monroe. He stayed true to the originals and called on Scruggs, the only surviving member of Monroe's trailblazing lineup, and another Monroe alum, Del McCoury, to join them for a couple of songs. "Every time I'm with Earl I learn something I didn't know. One little note or word or question may spark an answer I hadn't heard before," Skaggs said. Monroe, who was a friend and a mentor to Skaggs, continued to perform and record until his death in 1996. He's regarded as the father of bluegrass and is one of only a handful of artists enshrined in both the country and the rock halls of fame. "I think those two years that Lester and Earl were in the band really solidified a sound that has stood the test of time," Skaggs said. "Here we are 60 some years later and playing the same style of music. We've added to it, but I don't feel like we've taken anything away from it." With the Monroe tribute, Skaggs circles back to his youth. When he was only 6, he was called onstage by Monroe to perform with the master. It was a pivotal moment for him, and now he's returned the favor of sorts by calling attention to some of Monroe's most important recordings. "People talked about him in later years as being a traditionalist, but if you look at history he was really a trendsetter. He took the essence of something old and added something new."   Source: Associated Press