American country-bluegrass singer and award-winning musician Ricky Lee Skaggs was born July 18, 1954 in Riverview Hospital, Louisa, Kentucky to Hobert and Dorothy May Skaggs. His name on his birth certificate is spelled “Rickie Lee Skaggs.” He was named after Ricky Ricardo. He grew up in a hollow called Brushy Fork in Kentucky with his older sister Linda, older brother Garold and younger brother Gary. Ricky has been married twice. His first wife was Brenda Stanley, with whom he had a son and a daughter, Andrew and Mandy. He has been married to Sharon White since August 1981 and they have two children, Molly Kate and Lucas. Ricky plays the mandolin, fiddle, guitar, banjo and the mandocaster.

Some songs that Ricky Skaggs is known for are “Heartbroke”, “Uncle Pen”, “Honey (Open That Door)” and “Cajun Moon”.

Awards/Honors:
Grammy Awards:
1983: Best Country Instrumental Performance: New South (JD Crowe, Jerry Douglas, Todd Phillips, Tony Rice, Ricky Skaggs) for “Fireball”
1984: Best Country Instrumental Performance: Ricky Skaggs for “Wheel Hoss”
1986: Best Country Instrumental Performance (Orchestra, Group or Soloist): Ricky Skaggs for “Raisin' the Dickens”
1991: Best Country Vocal Collaboration: Ricky Skaggs, Steve Wariner & Vince Gill for “Restless”
1998: Best Country Collaboration with Vocals: Clint Black, Joe Diffie, Merle Haggard, Emmylou Harris, Alison Krauss, Patty Loveless, Earl Scruggs, Ricky Skaggs, Marty Stuart, Pam Tillis, Randy Travis, Travis Tritt & Dwight Yoakam for “Same Old Train”
1999: Best Bluegrass Album: Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder for Bluegrass Rules!
2000: Best Bluegrass Album: Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder for Ancient Tones
2000: Best Southern, Country or Bluegrass Gospel Album: Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder for Soldier of the Cross
2003: Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals: Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder: “A Simple Life”
2004: Best Bluegrass Album: Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder Brand New Strings
2006: Best Bluegrass Album: Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder Instrumentals
2006: Best Musical Album for Children Songs From the Neighborhood, The Music of Mr. Rogers
2008: Best Southern, Country or Bluegrass Gospel Album: Ricky Skaggs and The Whites for Salt of the Earth
2009: Best Bluegrass Album Honoring the Fathers of Bluegrass 1946 & 47
CMA Awards:
1982: Male Vocalist of the Year: Ricky Skaggs
1982: Horizon Award: Ricky Skaggs
1983, 1984: Instrumental Group of the Year: Ricky Skaggs Band
1985: Entertainer of the Year: Ricky Skaggs
1987: Vocal Duo of the Year: Ricky Skaggs & Sharon White
1991: Vocal Event of the Year with Mark O'Connor and the New Nashville Cats
ACM Awards:
1981: Top New Male Vocalist of the Year: Ricky Skaggs
1982, 1983, 1984: Band of the Year – Touring: Ricky Skaggs Band
1984: Specialty Instrument: Ricky Skaggs (mandolin)
1985, 1986: Band of the Year – Touring: Ricky Skaggs Band
1987: Specialty Instrument: Ricky Skaggs
IBMA Awards:
1998: Instrumental Group of the Year: Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder
1998: Album of the Year: Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder for Bluegrass Rules!
1999, 2000: Instrumental Group of the Year: Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder
2000: Instrumental Album of the Year: David Grisman, Ronnie McCoury, Sam Bush, Frank Wakefield, Bobby Osborne, Jesse McReynolds, Ricky Skaggs and Buck White for Bluegrass Mandolin Extravaganza
2000: Recorded Event of the Year: Bluegrass Mandolin Extravaganza
2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006: Instrumental Group of the Year: Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder
2008: Recorded Event of the Year: Everett Lilly and Everybody and Their Brother; featuring Everett Lilly, Bea Lilly, Charles Lilly, Daniel Lilly, Mark Lilly, Marty Stuart, Rhonda Vincent, Billy Walker, Ronnie McCoury, Rob McCoury, David Ball, Charlie Cushman, Larry Stephenson, Joe Spivey, Eddie Stubbs, Jason Carter, Dickey Lee, Freddy Weller, Mike Bub, Red Lewis, Andy May, Darrin Vincent, Marcia Campbell, Clay Rigdon, Eric Blankenship and Bill Wolfenbarger (artists); Charles Lilly and Bill Wolfenbarger (producers); Swift River Music
2012: Gospel Recorded Performance of the Year “Singing As We Rise” Gibson Brothers with Ricky Skaggs
TNN/Music City News Country Awards:
1982, 1983: Bluegrass Act of the Year
1983: Star of Tomorrow
1984: Bluegrass Act of the Year
1988, 1989, 1990: Instrumentalist of the Year
1996: Vocal Collaboration of the Year with Vince Gill and Patty Loveless
Others:
2012: ACM’s Cliffie Stone Pioneer Award
R&R Best New Artist
Billboard Magazine’s Artist of the Year
Musician Magazine – Voted one of the Top 100 Guitarists of the Century
Artist of the Decade – Listener’s Poll Award
2003:CMT’s 40 Greatest Men of Country Music Rank #37