A legendary figure in both the bluegrass and country genres and his award-winning band are coming to serenade south Alabamians this spring.

Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder will roll into the Kiwanis Covington County Fairgrounds Saturday, April 21 with the event slated to kick off at 4:30 p.m.

The concert is sponsored by the Lurleen B. Wallace Community College Foundation.

Skaggs, a native of Cordell, Kentucky, received his first mandolin at the age of five. By age seven, little Ricky Skaggs was playing on stage with none other than the legendary Flatt and Scruggs on their syndicated television show, earning his first—but far from his last—paycheck for a musical performance. In 1971 he joined the band of bluegrass patriarch Ralph Stanley, building a reputation for creativity and excitement in live performances and recordings.

In the late 1970s, Skaggs turned his attention to country music as a member of Emmylou Harris’s band and later, as a solo recording artist. He reached the top of the country charts and stayed there for most of the 1980s. In 1982, Skaggs became the youngest person ever inducted into the Grand Ol’ Opry. He garnered eight CMA awards, four Grammys and dozens of other honors along the way.

Skaggs’ accolades put him front and center in the neo-traditionalist movement—in fact, famed guitarist and producer Chet Atkins gives Skaggs credit for “single-handedly” saving country music in the face of the “Urban Cowboy” craze.

In 1997, Skaggs established his own record label—Skaggs Family Records. Since then, Skaggs and his band, Kentucky Thunder, have gone on to release 12 consecutive Grammy-nominated albums (eight of which won that covered award) and have opened the label to a variety of other musical acts, keeping the emphasis on bluegrass and

roots music.

Ricky Skaggs counts the current configuration of Kentucky Thunder among the best group of musicians he has ever worked with, saying, “This group of guys meets my approval each and every night . . . each and every one of the pickers in Kentucky Thunder amazes me at every show . . . and that, to me, outweighs any award we could ever win.”

And this concert is not just about bringing some good ol’ down-home music to the area; it’s about raising funds for the LBWCC Foundation’s continuing mission to promote and support programs and activities at LBWCC for all of its students in Butler, Crenshaw, Covington and surrounding counties.

Tickets are $25 in advance and $35 at the gate. VIP tickets (including one backstage pass per ticket) are $100. For more information on tickets, go to

https://www.lbwcc.edu/about-lbwcc/college-foundations/events-and-activities

The LBWCC Foundation is also looking for sponsors for the event. For more information regarding concert sponsorships, contact Dr. Arlene Davis by email at adavis@lbwcc.edu or by phone at 334-881-2390 or Christy Hawkins at chawkins@lbwcc.edu or at 334-881-2248.