Ricky Skaggs, a neotraditional country and bluegrass singer, struck his first chord on a mandolin over 60 years ago.
When Skaggs began his solo career in the early ‘80s, country music leaned toward the “Urban Cowboy”-era of pop-flavored hits. Skaggs stayed true to his love for bluegrass and traditional country, blending the two for audiences hungry for “real country music.”
He hit the US country charts with “Heartbroke,” “I Wouldn’t Change You If I Could,” and “Highway 40 Blues.”
His dad bought him his first mandolin at five. Not long after that, Bill Monroe, “The Father of Bluegrass,” played a show at the high school in Martha, Kentucky. Some encouragement from the crowd put little Ricky Skaggs on stage, too, where he played mandolin alongside Mr. Monroe on “Ruby (Are You Mad).”
“My dad was very wise,” Skaggs reflected. “He said, ‘you always ought to take your instruments with you. You just never know when somebody’s going to ask you to get up and play.’”
From that moment on, Skaggs’ path was set. It eventually took him from prodigy in rural Kentucky to the top of the country charts.
Skaggs’ musical education came directly from the pioneers — Monroe, Flatt and Scruggs, and The Stanley Brothers — bringing that old time sound into modern country alongside his contemporaries, like Alan Jackson and George Strait.
“I just felt I wanted to go back to my roots, and kind of bring some leadership, some credibility to bluegrass,” Skaggs said. “Talk about the future… I think the future is in the past.”
The Oak Ridge Boys also represent a grand tradition of country music, but in the form of a vocal quartet. The group’s roots go back to the 1940s, but the lineup fans know best — William Lee Golden, Richard Sterban, Duane Allen, and the late Joe Bonsall — came together in 1973.
The Oak Ridge Boys recently celebrated a half-century of touring, with a plethora of metal-plated records and top 10 hits to its name, like the genre-crossing song, “Elvira.”
Bonsall, who suffered from ALS, sang with the group until mid-December 2023. Just before the new year, young vocalist Ben James debuted as The Oak Ridge Boys’ tenor, rounding out the group’s present lineup. Bonsall died in July 2024.
“The loss of our singing partner and some of our close family members last year… it puts you in a valley of sadness,” said William Lee Golden, the group’s baritone. “We have found that music has a strong healing power… mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually. And we have found healing every time we get to sing together.”
The Oak Ridge Boys are currently on an extended farewell tour, but Golden doesn’t see an end in sight. He believes there should be a group of singers, not unlike Ben James, who continue The Oaks’ four-part harmonies, just as Golden, Sterban, Allen, and Bonsall did since ‘73.
The group’s latest record, “Mama’s Boys,” contains the single “Come On Home,” which can have a double meaning. The lyrics are seemingly about a boy leaving the nest, with his mother saying he can “come on home” whenever he wants. But with the Oaks’ looming farewell, the Boys may also be taking that advice.
In the video, Ben James takes his guitar on the road while Golden sings from his front porch. The visual feels fitting for a group preparing to head home after decades on tour.
“The Oak Ridge Boys don’t want to quit singing,” Golden said. “But there should be people just like us when we came into the group… young people with the talent and the determination and the vision to take it to the next level and to keep the songs and music alive.”
HOW TO GO
What: Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder / The Oak Ridge Boys
When: 8 p.m. Aug. 16
Where: Rose Music Center, 6800 Executive Blvd., Huber Heights
Cost: $34.50-$73.50
Tickets: rosemusiccenter.com
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