Skaggs, Kentucky Thunder seek another2008 IBMA instrumental award
Category: IBMA Nominees
By Dan Tackett
August 25, 2008
Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder with Bruce Hornsby at Merlefest 2008 playing “Bluegrass Breakdown.”
What would an International Bluegrass Music Association awards show be without Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder in contention for Instrumental Group of the Year? After all, Skaggs and company have claimed this honor eight times in the last decade, making them as close as it gets to defending champs.
Skaggs and his strong group of pickers are back this year, in the final list of five up for the honor. And you have to start with the boss, Mr. Skaggs, himself, still stellar with his mandolin work. (Not to mention, with a new Ricky Skaggs’ Limited Edition Distressed Mandolin model now for sale through Gibson. It’s closely modeled after his 1923 Lloyd Loar F-5.)
Others in this group of super-pickers are Andy Leftwich on fiddle; Cody Kilby, lead guitar; Mark Fain on bass; Ben Helson and Paul Brewster on rhythm guitar; and Jim Mills, Skagg’s highly decorated banjo player. Mills, himself, has won IBMA’s Banjo Player of the Year six times and he’s seen one of his solo CDs take IBMA’s Instrumental Album of the Year award. Henson is the newest member of the group, filling the slot left vacant when Darrin Vincent teamed up with Jamie Dailey in their new band.
“This group of guys meets my approval every night,” Skaggs says on his Web site. “Each and every one of the pickers in Kentucky Thunder totally amazes me in every show … and that, to me, outweighs any award we could ever win.”
Website: http://rickyskaggs.com/
Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder Band Discography:
| Year | Title | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Sweet Temptation | Sugar Hill |
| 1980 | Skaggs & Rice | Sugar Hill |
| 1981 | Waitin’ for the Sun to Shine | Epic |
| 1982 | Family & Friends | Rounder |
| 1982 | Highways & Heartaches | DCC |
| 1983 | Don’t Cheat in Our Hometown | Epic |
| 1984 | Country Boy | Epic |
| 1985 | Live in London | Epic |
| 1986 | Love’s Gonna Get Ya! | Epic |
| 1988 | Comin’ Home to Stay | Epic |
| 1989 | Kentucky Thunder | Epic |
| 1990 | Radio Special | Epic |
| 1991 | My Father’s Son | Epic |
| 1994 | Ricky Skaggs & Jimmy Douglas | Rounder |
| 1995 | Solid Ground | Atlantic |
| 1995 | Country Pride | Sony Special Products |
| 1996 | Crying My Heart Out Over You | Camden |
| 1997 | Life Is a Journey | Atlantic |
| 1997 | That’s It | Rebel |
| 1997 | Bluegrass Rules! | Rounder |
| 1999 | Ancient Tones | Skaggs Family |
| 1999 | You May See Me Walkin’ | Platinum Disc |
| 1999 | Soldier of the Cross | Skaggs Family |
| 2000 | Big Mon: The Songs of Bill Monroe | Skaggs Family |
| 2001 | History of the Future | Hollywood |
| 2002 | Sing the Songs of Bill Monroe | Hollywood |
| 2002 | Uncle Pen | Music Mill |
| 2003 | Live at the Charleston Music Hall | Skaggs Family |
| 2004 | Brand New Strings | Skaggs Family |
| 2006 | Instrumentals | Skaggs Family |
| 2007 | Ricky Skaggs & Bruce Hornsby | Legacy |
| 2007 | Salt of the Earth | Skaggs Family |
| 2008 | Honoring the Fathers of Bluegrass: Tribute to 1946 & 1947 | Skaggs Family |
| 2008 | The High Notes | Cracker Barrel |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Organization | Award | Presented To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Grammy® | Best Country Instrumental Performance (Song) | Wheel Hoss |
| 1986 | Grammy® | Best Country Instrumental Performance (Song) | Raisin’ the Dickens |
| 1991 | Grammy® | Best Country Collaboration with Vocals (Song) | Restless |
| 1998 | IBMA | Instrumental Group Of The Year | Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder |
| 1998 | IBMA | Album Of The Year | “Bluegrass Rules!” |
| 1998 | Grammy® | Best Bluegrass Album (Album) | Bluegrass Rules! |
| 1998 | Grammy® | Best Country Collaboration with Vocals (Song) | Same Old Train |
| 1999 | IBMA | Instrumental Group Of The Year | Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder |
| 1999 | Grammy® | Best Bluegrass Album (Album) | Ancient Tones |
| 2000 | IBMA | Instrumental Group Of The Year | Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder |
| 2000 | IBMA | Instrumental Album Of The Year | “Bluegrass Mandolin Extravaganza” - David Grisman, Ronnie McCoury, Sam Bush, Frank Wakefield, Bobby Osborne, Jesse McReynolds, RickySkaggs & Buck White |
| 2000 | IBMA | Recorded Event Of The Year | “Bluegrass Mandolin Extravaganza” - David Grisman, Ronnie McCoury, Sam Bush, Frank Wakefield, Bobby Osborne, Jesse McReynolds, Ricky Skaggs & Buck White |
| 2000 | Grammy® | Best Southern Gospel, Country Gospel or Bluegrass Gospel Album (Album) | Soldier of the Cross |
| 2002 | IBMA | Instrumental Group Of The Year | Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder |
| 2003 | IBMA | Instrumental Group Of The Year | Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder |
| 2003 | Grammy® | Best Country Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal (Song) | A Simple Life |
| 2004 | IBMA | Instrumental Group Of The Year | Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder |
| 2005 | IBMA | Instrumental Group Of The Year | Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder |
| 2006 | IBMA | Instrumental Group Of The Year | Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder |
| 2006 | Grammy® | Best Bluegrass Album (Album) | Instrumentals |
| 2007 | Grammy® | Best Southern, Country, Or Bluegrass Gospel Album (Album) | Salt of the Earth |
Other Media:
Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder with Bruce Hornsby at the 2008 Merlefest playing “Uncle Pen” & “Valley Road”
Who’s going to win the 2008 IBMA Instrumental Group of the Year? Vote for your Favorite below!
http://publicity.rounder.com/?id=artistTour.php&musical_group_id=7135
