American country and bluegrass singer and multi-instrumentalist, born July 18, 1954 in Cordell, Kentucky, USA. He has also worked as a producer and arranger. In 2002, received an Honorary Doctor of American Heritage Arts from Hocking College, Nelsonville, OH, 2005 Honorary Doctor of Humanites -Eastern Kentucky University Richmond, KY and in 2008, Honorary Doctor Of Music, Berklee College Of Music, Boston MA.
Holds 15 Grammy awards, 11 Billboard #1 country hits, 4 gold and 1 platinu0m albums. Brought a number of classic bluegrass songs to mainstream audiences, including a #1 country hit with Uncle Pen, 1984. Co-wrote and published his autobiography, Kentucky Traveler, 2013.
Inducted into both the Country Music Hall of Fame, the IBMA Hall of Fame and the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame in 2018.
Skaggs showed prowess at an early age, playing mandolin on stage with Bill Monroe at age 5 and appearing on TV with Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs at 7. He emerged as a professional bluegrass musician in 1971, when he and Keith Whitley joined Ralph Stanley’s band the Clinch Mountain Boys. He went on to record and perform with the Country Gentlemen and J.D. Crowe & The New South, and led Boone Creek, which featured Jerry Douglas, before turning to more mainstream county in the late ’70s when he replaced Rodney Crowell in Emmylou Harris’ Hot Band.