Mar 7
Berklee school will confer degree on Skaggs
Ricky SkaggsIs Doctor Skaggs in?
That will be an appropriate question later this month when Ricky Skaggs is conferred with an honorary doctorate of music from the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston.
The degree will be awarded March 18 as part of Skaggs’ performance on the Tuesday Night Opry at the Grand Ole Opry house in Nashville, Tenn.
Dr. Larry Simpson, Berklee’s senior vice president for academic affairs will bestow the honor.
“At Berklee, we admire musicians of extraordinary talent who follow their artistic inclinations fearlessly,” said Berklee College of Music President Roger Brown. “Ricky Skaggs is a master musician with sky-high standards who achieved mainstream success his own way, on his own terms. By honoring Ricky Skaggs, we shine a light on the present and future of bluegrass; its heritage and its infinite potential. And besides all that, the man can pick.”
Skaggs’ virtuosity, his rich musicality, and his commitment to the deep roots of American music make him a deserving recipient of a Berklee Honorary Doctorate, the Boston-based school said in a news release.
Honoring the Fathers of Bluegrass - Tribute to 1946 and 1947 (Skaggs Family Records)
Website:
Skaggs Family Records
Achievements:
- 13 Grammy Awards
- 11 IBMA awards
- 8 Country Music Assoc. Awards
- Grand Ole Opry Member since May 15, 1982
Other country music legends that have earned the degree are Loretta Lynn and Earl Scruggs.
Skaggs’ degree will join a lengthy list of awards and recognitions during his career. Included are 13 Grammy awards, 11 International Bluegrass Music Association awards and eight Country Music Association awards.
Scores of Berklee students – including some from Malaysia, Indonesia, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom - will be in Nashville for spring break and will join local alumni, members of Berklee’s Boston community, and friends of Skaggs for the presentation and performance.
For more than 20 years, Berklee students have come to Nashville to gain an insider’s knowledge of the music industry by meeting and learning from top performers, songwriters, publishers, producers, and engineers.
Berklee professors Pat Pattison and Stephen Webber have organized a stellar lineup of artists this year to meet with students, including Grammy-winning performers and songwriters Mike Reid, Gary Burr, Janice Ian, Jon Vezner and Kathy Mattea.
The students will tour Nashville’s top studios, and participate in an interactive recording session experience at the Tracking Room, with A-list players including Brent Mason, Eddie Bayers and potentially one very special guest TBA. Platinum-selling producer Kyle Lehning and Grammy-winning songwriter Mike Reid will also talk shop with the students. Berklee’s spring break in Nashville runs from March 15 – 19.
Among other performers scheduled for the Tuesday Opry when Skaggs becomes Dr. Skagss are Country Music Hall of Famers Bill Anderson and Jimmy Dickens, The Del McCoury Band, and The Whites, with whom Skaggs won a Grammy Award last month.
Present in the audience will be 120 Berklee students who will have the special privilege of a private Q &A session with Skaggs after the ceremony.
(1 votes, average: 4 out of 5)
Loading ...You might also like to read these related news items:
[…] slot. Ricky Skaggs is the sole performer on the 8:30-9:00 slot. In addition to performing, Skaggs will be presented with an honorary doctorate of music from the prestigious Berklee College of Music in […]