Ricky Skaggs to be inducted into Country Music Hall of Fame
This fall, a bronze plaque depicting 15-time GRAMMY® Award-winning singer and musician Ricky Skaggs will be added to the Rotunda wall at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville. This morning at the famed institution, Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood announced Ricky Skaggs as one of three inductees for the Country Music Hall of Fame Class of 2018.
Later this year, Skaggs will be inducted in the “Modern Era Artist” category, along with the late Dottie West in the “Veterans Era Artist” category and the late Johnny Gimble in the “Recording and/or Touring Musician” category.
“I was totally shocked, and I burst into tears when I heard that I was gonna be the newest inductee into the Country Music Hall of Fame,” says Skaggs. “When I came to Nashville in 1980, I came to play music and hopefully get a record deal. All of that happened, but I never dreamed that I’d ever be a member of this hallowed Hall. Why me, and why now was going through my mind.”
Formal induction ceremonies for Skaggs, West, and Gimble will take place at the Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum in the CMA Theater in the fall. Since 2007, the Museum’s Medallion Ceremony, an annual reunion of the Hall of Fame membership, has served as the official rite of induction for new members.
CMA created the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1961 to recognize noteworthy individuals for their outstanding contributions to the format with Country music’s highest honor.
“There are so many others that have inspired me, encouraged me, ones that I’ve truly learned from, and ones that have made such great contributions to Country and Bluegrass music,” notes Skaggs. “I’m humbled and very grateful to soon be listed among my many heroes in this great Country Music Hall of Fame. What an incredible honor. Thank you Jesus, and thank you CMA.
Jessica Blankenship is the owner and founder of Kentucky Country Music website with over 20 years experience in music journalism, concert planning, photography, and promotion. Jessica is a Kentucky Colonel and alumni of the 2019 Leadership Kentucky BRIGHT Class and a recipient of the Laurel County’s Ten Under 40 Award. Listen to her each week on WFKY on Friday mornings for the Nashville News Roundup.