name	Jim Varney
birth name	James Albert Varney, Jr.
birth date	June 15, 1949
birth place	Lexington, Kentucky, U.S.A.
death date	February 10, 2000
death place	White House, Tennessee, U.S.A.
death cause	Lung cancer
nationality	American
religion	Christianity
years active	1976–2000
spouse	Jacqueline Drew (1977-83)Jane Varney (1988-91)
occupation	Actor, comedian }}

James Albert "Jim" Varney, Jr. (June 15, 1949 – February 10, 2000) was an American stand-up comedian, actor, musician, writer, voice artist, and comedian, best known for his role as Ernest P. Worrell, who was used in numerous television commercial campaigns and movies in the following years, giving Varney fame worldwide and playing Jed Clampett in the 1993 movie version of ''The Beverly Hillbillies''.

Early life

Varney was born James Albert Varney, Jr., the fourth child and only son of Louise (née Howard; January 14, 1913 – August 22, 1994) and James Albert Varney, Sr. (January 1, 1910 – January 11, 1985), on June 15, 1949 in Lexington, Kentucky, where he grew up.

As a child, Varney displayed the ability to memorize long poems and significant portions of material from books, which he used to entertain family and friends. When Varney was a boy, his mother would put the black and white TV on cartoons for him to watch. His mother discovered that Varney quickly began to imitate the cartoon characters, so she started him in children’s theater when he was 8 years old. Varney began his interest in theater as a teenager, winning state titles in drama competitions while a student at Lafayette High School (from which he graduated with the class of 1968) in Lexington. He attended Murray State University at the age of 15, where he portrayed Ebenezer Scrooge in a local theater production, and by 17 he was performing professionally in nightclubs and coffee houses. Varney studied Shakespeare at the Barter Theatre in Virginia and performed in an Opryland folk show its first year of operation in the 1970s. He listed a former teacher, Thelma Beeler, as being one of the main contributing factors in his becoming an actor. When he was 24, Varney was an actor at the Pioneer Playhouse in Danville, Kentucky. The theater was adjacent to an old West Village and prior to the show the audience would tour the village where apprentices would play townsfolk. Varney and the company usually played in the outdoor theater to audiences of only a few dozen people. Varney would regale the young apprentices by throwing knives into trees. He performed in "Blithe Spirit", "Boeing 707" and an original musical, "Fire on the Mountain." He once jokingly threatened a long-haired apprentice, John Lino Ponzini, that he would take him up to Hazard, Kentucky where he (Ponzini) wouldn't make it down Main Street without the townsfolk giving him a crewcut.

Career

Television commercials

The first commercial featuring Varney as the character Ernest, filmed in 1980, advertised an appearance by the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders at Beech Bend Park, an amusement park located near Bowling Green, Kentucky. The character was franchised for use in markets all over the country and was used often by dairies to advertise milk products. For example, the Midwestern dairy bar chain Braum's ran several advertisements using Ernest's catchphrase (as it was spelled in his registered trademark), ''"KnoWhutImean, Vern?"'' Purity Dairies, based in Nashville, and Oakhurst Dairy in Maine ran commercials that were nearly identical, but with the dairy name changed.

For the same agency, Varney created a different character, Sgt. Glory, a humorless drill instructor who harangued cows of the client dairy into producing better milk. In another spot, Sgt. Glory's home was shown as he had a date, which was heavily decorated with the products of the sponsor and advertising specialty items that it was essentially devoid of any other decor. The Sgt. Glory character also appeared in an advertisement for a southern grocery chain, Pruitt's Food Town, in which he drilled the checkout clerks on proper behavior: "Bread on top. Repeat: Bread on top." He approaches one of them at the end of the commercial with a look of menace and says, "You're not smilin'." The checkout bagger gives a very nervous and forced smile.

Varney also starred as Ernest in a series of commercials that ran in the New Orleans area (and throughout the Gulf South) as a spokesman for natural gas utilities. In one, he is seen kneeling down in front of Vern's desk under a lamp hanging from the ceiling, stating, ''"Natural Gas, Vern; it's hot, fast, and cheap. Hot, fast, cheap; kinda like your first wife, Vern, you know, the pretty one!?"'' Vern then knocks the lamp into Ernest's head, knocking him down. Those same TV ads also were featured on TV channels in the St. Louis area for Laclede Gas during the mid-1980s. Another TV ad for Laclede Gas featured Ernest saying, "Heat pump, schmeat pump."

Varney also was noted for doing commercials for car dealerships across the country, most notably Cerritos Auto Square in Cerritos, California, Tysons Toyota in Tysons Corner, Virginia, and Audubon Chrysler in Henderson, Kentucky. Another favorite Ernest vehicle was promotions for various TV stations around the nation, including the news team and the weather departments.

Varney also portrayed another character, "Auntie Nelda", in numerous commercials long before he resurrected the character for the movies ''Dr. Otto and the Riddle of the Gloom Beam'', ''Ernest Saves Christmas'', ''Ernest Goes to Jail'', ''Ernest Scared Stupid'', ''Ernest Goes to Camp'', and ''Ernest Rides Again''. Dressed in drag and appearing to be a senior citizen, the commercials gave off the tone of a motherly lady encouraging one to do what was right (in this case, buy whatever product was being promoted). This character, along with the "Ernest" character, ran for a couple of years in Mississippi and Louisiana in commercials for Leadco Aluminum Siding, a company that would provide estimates for placing aluminum siding on a home. Leadco often bought two-hour slots in local markets. During the slot, a movie was televised, and Varney (as one of his characters) and a Leadco representative would be the only commercial breaks during the movie, promoting only Leadco.

During the 1990s, Varney reprised his role as Ernest for Blake's Lotaburger, a fast food chain in New Mexico. In these commercials, Ernest typically would be trying to get into Vern's house to see what food Vern was eating. After a lengthy description of whatever tasty morsel Vern had, Ernest would get locked out but would continue to shout from outside.

Ernest's popularity

Varney's character Ernest proved so popular that it was spun off into a TV series, ''Hey Vern, It's Ernest!'' and a series of movies in the 1980s and 1990s. ''Ernest Goes to Camp'' brought Varney a nomination for "Worst New Star" at the 1987 Golden Raspberry Awards, but the movie was a huge hit, grossing $25 million at the box office.

In 1989, Varney won a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Performer in a Children's Series for ''Hey Vern, It's Ernest'' (1988). Varney, playing Ernest both times, was nominated for a Razzie Award one year (1988) and then won an Emmy Award the next year (1989).

Other Ernest movies include ''Ernest Saves Christmas'', ''Slam Dunk Ernest'', ''Ernest Goes to Jail'', ''Ernest Goes to Africa'', ''Ernest Rides Again'', ''Ernest Goes to School'', ''Ernest Scared Stupid'', and ''Ernest in the Army''. The Walt Disney World Resort's Epcot theme park featured Ernest. Epcot's Cranium Command attraction used the Ernest character in its pre-show as an example of a "lovable, but not the brightest person on the planet" type of person. And in addition to his ''Ernest Goes to...'' series, he starred as Ernest in several smaller movies for Carden & Cherry, such as ''Knowhutimean? Hey Vern, It's My Family Album''; ''Dr. Otto and the Riddle of the Gloom Beam''; and ''Your World as I See It'', all of which showcased his great facility with assuming a wide variety of characters and accents. ''The Ernest Film Festival'' (a.k.a. Greatest Hits Volume 1) was released on VHS in 1986. It also contains his television commercials. ''Greatest Hits Volume 2'' was released in 1992. These skits were issued on DVD box sets October 31, 2006, by Mill Creek Entertainment.

Non-''Ernest'' work

Varney had an established acting career prior to his fame as Ernest. In 1976, Varney was a regular cast member of the TV show ''Johnny Cash And Friends''. He also played a recurring guest on the faux late-night talk show ''Fernwood 2 Night''. From 1977-1979, Varney was cast as Seaman "Doom & Gloom" Broom in the TV version of ''Operation Petticoat''. Just prior to his stint as Ernest, he was a cast member on the notorious television flop ''Pink Lady and Jeff''.

From 1983 to 1984, Varney played heartthrob Chad Everett's younger brother Evan Earp in the comedy-drama, high-action TV series, ''The Rousters'', created by Stephen J. Cannell, about the descendants of Wyatt Earp, a family of bounty hunters/carnival bouncers. As Evan Earp, Varney played a con man/mechanical-inventor "genius," constantly getting himself into comedic trouble, with those around him ready to lynch him. Although the series was promising, the show failed after its first season because it was poorly slotted (four episodes every few months) against the number-one prime-time TV series for the past six years, ''The Love Boat''.

Varney can be seen in Hank Williams, Jr.'s video for "All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight," where he is briefly shown casually riding a bull being pulled on a rope by a young lady, and later in a swimming pool with two young ladies.

In 1985, Varney co-hosted HBO's New Year's Eve special, along with Johnny Cash and Kris Kristofferson. Varney also played Jed Clampett in the 1993 production of ''The Beverly Hillbillies'', Rex, a carnival worker/associate of Dennis Quaid in ''Wilder Napalm'', which is about two pyrokinetic brothers, played by Quaid and Arliss Howard, and as the accident-prone entertainer/watch guard (aka "safety guy/human torch") Rudy James in the movie ''Snowboard Academy''. He later played a small role in the 1995 action film ''The Expert'' as a weapons dealer named Snake.

Varney also lent his voice to Slinky Dog in Disney's ''Toy Story'' film series (Varney was replaced by Blake Clark in ''Toy Story 3'' due to his death in 2000), and played numerous others, including "Cookie" Farnsworth, from ''Atlantis: The Lost Empire'', released the year after his death (Steve Barr replaced Varney for the sequel ''Atlantis: Milo's Return''), the carny character Cooter in the "Bart Carny" episode of ''The Simpsons'', the character Walt Evergreen in the ''Duckman'' episode "You've Come a Wrong Way, Baby", Prince Carlos Charmaine (a royal suitor Jackie dates) for a few episodes of the final season of the 1990s television series ''Roseanne'', and Lothar Zogg in the 1998 film ''3 Ninjas: High Noon at Mega Mountain'', also starring Hulk Hogan and Loni Anderson.

He had a brief role as an incestuous, abusive father in an independent production, ''100 Proof'', for which he received good reviews from critics. Varney also had a bit of a shocking role as one of the rebels in the midnight movie, ''Existo'', a film dubbed as the next ''Rocky Horror Picture Show''. Varney played an old Mariner in a low-budget horror film, ''Blood, Friends, and Money''. During the filming of ''Treehouse Hostage'', Varney played an escaped convict held hostage and tormented by some 5th graders in a treehouse.

One of his final movies was Billy Bob Thornton's ''Daddy and Them'', where Varney played Uncle Hazel, who had been arrested for murder. Co-stars included Kelly Preston and Andy Griffith. Another final guest appearance was the Bibleman Genesis Series ''Bibleman Jr. Volume 1 & 2'' as himself, where he has a friendly chat with a small group of young children about making silly faces and laughter, then entertainingly sings a simple song with them.

He starred in three videos, ''The Misadventures of Bubba'', ''The Misadventures of Bubba II'', and ''Bubba Goes Hunting'', in which he played himself and taught young kids important safety rules about hunting and guns. He illustrated the rules with the help of his bumbling and accident-prone cousin Bubba (also played by Varney) and Bubba's imaginary hunting pal, Billy Bob. The videos were distributed as part of a membership pack from Buckmasters' Young Bucks Club.

According to an interview, one of Varney's final projects was writing a screenplay about the legendary feud between the Hatfields and the McCoys, stating that his grandfather hunted squirrel with the McCoys.

Varney said his dream role would have been to perform ''Hamlet''. During novelist Peter David's efforts to bring his 1987 novel ''Knight Life'' to the big screen, movie producers intended to have Varney portray the role of King Arthur (the main character).

Personal life

Varney called himself a "Hill William", which is a euphemism for a refined hillbilly (Florence Henderson's Country Kitchen, Part I).

Varney was married twice, to Jacqueline Drew (1977–83) and Jane Varney (1988–91). Both marriages ended in divorce, though he remained friends with Jane until his death; she became his spokesperson and accompanied Varney to the ''Toy Story 2'' premiere before he died. Varney had no children.

He was very good friends with singers Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, Waylon Jennings, and actor and comedian Robin Williams. Varney was also good friends with stand-up comedian and actor Blake Clark, who took over the role of Slinky Dog in ''Toy Story 3'' (as previously mentioned), 10 years after Varney's death.

Illness and death

During the filming of ''Treehouse Hostage'' in August 1998, Varney started developing a nagging cough. At first, it was thought that he might have caught a cold because of the climate of the area where the movie was being filmed. However, as the cough became worse, Varney began noticing blood on his handkerchief. After filming was complete, Varney went to the doctor. A life-long heavy smoker, Varney had developed lung cancer. The disease slowly became worse, yet Varney continued to film movies. He finally returned to Tennessee, where he went through chemotherapy in the hope he could beat the disease. He died on February 10, 2000 in his home in White House, Tennessee, a suburb of Nashville, at the age of 50. He was buried in Lexington Cemetery in Lexington, Kentucky.

Filmography

{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%;" |- align="center" ! style="background: #B0C4DE;" | Year ! style="background: #B0C4DE;" | Title ! style="background: #B0C4DE;" | Role ! style="background: #B0C4DE;" | Notes |- |1982 | ''Spittin' Image'' | Sheriff | |- | 1983 | ''Knowhutimean? Hey Vern, It's My Family Album'' | Ernest P. Worrell / Davy Worrell & Company / Ace Worrell / Lloyd Worrell / Billy Boogie Worrell / Rhetch Worrell / Pop Worrell | |- | rowspan=2|1986 |''Dr. Otto and the Riddle of the Gloom Beam'' | Dr. Otto / Ernest P. Worrell / Rudd Hardtact / Laughin' Jack / Guy Dandy / Auntie Nelda | |- | ''Ernest's Greatest Hits Volume 1'' (''The Ernest Film Festival'') | Ernest P. Worrell | |- | rowspan=2|1987 |''Ernest Goes to Camp'' | Ernest P. Worrell | |- | ''Hey Vern, Win $10,000...Or Just Count On Having Fun!'' | Ernest P. Worrell | |- |1988 |''Ernest Saves Christmas'' | Ernest P. Worrell / Aster Clement / The Governor's Student / Auntie Nelda / Mrs. Brock / Marty's Mother / The Snake Guy | |- |1989 |''Fast Food'' | Wrangler Bob Bundy | |- | 1990 |''Ernest Goes to Jail'' | Ernest P. Worrell / Mr. Felix Nash / Auntie Nelda | |- | 1991 |''Ernest Scared Stupid'' | Ernest P. Worrell | |- | 1992 |''Ernest's Greatest Hits Volume 2'' | Ernest P. Worrell | |- | rowspan=3|1993 |''Wilder Napalm'' | Rex | |- |''The Beverly Hillbillies'' | Jed Clampett | |- |''Ernest Rides Again'' | Ernest P. Worrell | |- | 1994 | ''Ernest Goes to School'' | Ernest P. Worrell / Aster Clement / Baby Ernest / Auntie Nelda / Bunny / Coy | |- | rowspan=5|1995 | ''Slam Dunk Ernest'' | Ernest P. Worrell | |- | ''The Expert'' | Snake | |- |''School Story'' | Koby Boese | Voice only |- |''Toy Story'' | Slinky Dog | Voice only |- |''Bubba Goes Hunting'' | Bubba | |- | 1996 |''Snowboard Academy'' | Rudy James | |- | rowspan=4|1997 | ''Blood, Friends and Money'' | The Old Mariner | |- | ''100 Proof'' | Rae's Father | |- | ''Ernest Goes to Africa'' | Ernest P. Worrell / Hey You, the Hindu / Auntie Nelda / African Woman Dancer | |- | ''Annabelle's Wish'' | Mr. Gus Holder | Voice only |- | rowspan=2|1998 | ''Ernest in the Army'' | Pvt. Ernest P. Worrell / Capt. Ernest P. Worrell / Operation Sandtrap Arab | |- | ''3 Ninjas: High Noon at Mega Mountain'' | Lothar Zogg | |- | rowspan=4|1999 | ''Existo'' | Marcel Horowitz | |- | ''Treehouse Hostage'' | Carl Banks | |- | ''School Story 2'' | Koby Boese | Voice only |- | ''Toy Story 2'' | Slinky Dog | Voice only |- | rowspan=2|2001 | ''Atlantis: The Lost Empire'' | Jebidiah Allardyce 'Cookie' Farnsworth | Voice only |- | ''Daddy and Them'' | Hazel Montgomery | |}

Television work

{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%;" |- align="center" ! style="background: #B0C4DE;" | Year ! style="background: #B0C4DE;" | Title ! style="background: #B0C4DE;" | Role ! style="background: #B0C4DE;" | Notes |- | rowspan=2|1977 | ''Operation Petticoat'' | Doom & Gloom Broom | |- |''Fernwood 2 Night'' | Virgil Simms | Episode: "Ethnic Myths"Episode: "Getting the Most from Your Warranty"Episode: "#1.46"Episode: "Battery Powered Car" |- | rowspan=3|1978 | ''America 2-Night'' | Virgil Simms | Episode: "Daredevil Virgil Simms"Episode: "Falafel-on-a-Stick"Episode: "The UBS Story" |- |''Operation Petticoat'' | Seaman 'Doom & Gloom' Broom | 32 episodes |- |''Alice'' | Milo Skinner | Episode: "Better Never Than Later" |- | 1979 |''Alan King's Third Annual Final Warning!'' | Various | |- | 1980 |''Pink Lady'' | Various | All 6 episodes |- | 1982-83 | ''"Pop! Goes the Country"'' | | Unknown episodes |- | rowspan=2|1983 | ''The Rousters'' | Evan Earp | TV series pilot film |- | ''The Rousters'' | Evan Earp | All 13 episodes |- |1988 |''Hey Vern, It's Ernest!'' | Ernest P. Worrell / Various | |- |1988-89 |''Happy New Year, America'' |Ernest P. Worrell / Correspondent | Live New Year's Eve special |- | 1989 | ''Ernest Goes to Splash Mountain'' | Ernest P. Worrell | |- | rowspan=2|1990 | ''Disneyland'' | Ernest P. Worrell / Ernest's Father | Episode: "Disneyland's 35th Anniversary Celebration" |- | ''Disneyland's 35th Anniversary Celebration'' | Ernest P. Worrell | |- | 1994 | ''XXX's & OOO's'' | | Cameo |- | 1996 |''Roseanne'' | Prince Carlos | Episode: "Someday My Prince Will Come"Episode: "Home Is Where the Afghan Is" |- |1997 | ''Duckman: Private Dick/Family Man'' | Walt Evergreen | Voice onlyEpisode: "You've Come a Wrong Way, Baby" |- | 1998 |''The Simpsons'' | Cooder | Voice onlyEpisode: "Bart Carny" |}

Video games

{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%;" |- align="center" ! style="background: #B0C4DE;" | Year ! style="background: #B0C4DE;" | Film ! style="background: #B0C4DE;" | Role ! style="background: #B0C4DE;" | Notes |- | 1996 | ''Toy Story Activity Center'' | Slinky Dog | Voice only |- | 1999 |''Toy Story 2'' | Slinky Dog | Voice only |- | 2000 | ''Atlantis: The Lost Empire'' | Cookie | Voice only |}

References

External links

Category:American stand-up comedians Category:American actors Category:American Christians Category:American musicians Category:American writers Category:American voice actors Category:American comedians Category:1949 births Category:2000 deaths Category:American film actors Category:American television actors Category:American video game actors Category:Cancer deaths in Tennessee Category:Deaths from lung cancer Category:People from Lexington, Kentucky Category:People from Nashville, Tennessee

de:Jim Varney es:Jim Varney fa:جیم وارنی fr:Jim Varney it:Jim Varney nl:Jim Varney pl:Jim Varney pt:Jim Varney fi:Jim Varney sv:Jim Varney

''For the punk rock musician, see Ricky Scaggs.''

name	Ricky Skaggs
background	solo_singer
birth name	Richard Lee Skaggs
born	July 18, 1954Blaine, Kentucky
instrument	singer, mandolin, guitar, banjo, fiddle
genre	Country, bluegrass
occupation	Singer-songwriter, session musician, bandleader, producer, arranger
years active	1960s-present
label	Sugar Hill, Epic, Rounder, DCC, Atlantic, Camden, Rebel, Hollywood, Legacy, Skaggs Family
associated acts	Ralph Stanley and the Clinch Mountain Boys, J. D. Crowe and New South, Emmylou Harris and the Hot Band, The Whites, Kentucky Thunder, Bruce Hornsby
website	http://www.skaggsfamilyrecords.com/
notable instruments	}}

Richard Lee "Ricky" Skaggs (born July 18, 1954) is a country and bluegrass singer, musician, producer, and composer. He primarily plays mandolin; however, he also plays fiddle, guitar, and banjo.

Biography

Early career

Ricky Skaggs was born in Cordell, Kentucky. He started playing music at age 5 after he was given a mandolin by his father, Hobert. At age 6, he played mandolin on stage with Bill Monroe. At age 7, he appeared on television's Martha White country music variety show, playing with Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs. He also wanted to audition for the Grand Ole Opry at that time, but was told he was too young.

In his mid-teens, Skaggs met a fellow teen prodigy, guitarist Keith Whitley, and the two started playing together with Whitley's banjoist brother Dwight on radio shows. By 1970, they had earned a spot opening for Ralph Stanley and Skaggs and Keith Whitley were thereafter invited to join Stanley's band, the Clinch Mountain Boys

Skaggs later joined J. D. Crowe's New South. For a few years, Skaggs was a member of Emmylou Harris's Hot Band. He wrote the arrangements for Harris's 1980 bluegrass-roots album, ''Roses in the Snow''. In addition to arranging for Harris, Skaggs sang harmony and played mandolin and fiddle in the Hot Band.

Neotraditionalism and experimentation

Into the 1990s and 2000s, Skaggs has embraced his bluegrass roots, as well as experimenting with new sounds. With his band, Kentucky Thunder, he is a perennial winner of Grammy Awards and International Bluegrass Music Association for best bluegrass album.

"I always want to try to promote the old music, as well as trying to grow, and be a pioneer too," Skaggs once said.

In 2000, he shared the stage with Vermont-based jam band, Phish. On March 20, 2007, Skaggs released an album with rock musician Bruce Hornsby.

In 2008, Skaggs released an album he recorded with The Whites on his Skaggs Family Records label.

In 2008, Skaggs recorded a bluegrass version of "Old Enough" by the Raconteurs with Ashley Monroe and the Raconteurs. He played mandolin on the track as well as shared vocals with Jack White, Brendan Benson, and Ashley Monroe.

Discography

Awards

Grammy Awards

1983 Best Country Instrumental Performance: New South (J.D. 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 Dickins''

1991 Best Country Vocal Collaboration: Ricky Skaggs, Steve Wariner & Vince Gill for ''Restless''

1999 Best Bluegrass Album: Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder for ''Bluegrass Rules!''

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''

2000 Best Bluegrass Album: Ricky Skaggs and 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 Vocal: Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder for ''A Simple Life''

2004 Best Bluegrass Album: Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder for ''Brand New Strings''

2006 Best Bluegrass Album: Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder for ''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 (Country Music Association) Awards

1982 Male Vocalist of the Year: Ricky Skaggs

1982 Horizon Award: Ricky Skaggs

1983 Instrumental Group of the Year: Ricky Skaggs Band

1984 Instrumental Group of the Year: Ricky Skaggs Band

1985 Entertainer of the Year: Ricky Skaggs

1985 Instrumental Group of the Year: Ricky Skaggs Band

1987 Vocal Duo of the Year: Ricky Skaggs & Sharon White

IBMA (International Bluegrass Music Association) Awards

1998 Instrumental Group Of The Year: Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder

1998 Album Of The Year: Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder for ''Bluegrass Rules!''

1999 Instrumental Group Of The Year: Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder

2000 Instrumental Group Of The Year: Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder

2000 Instrumental Album Of The Year: David Grisman, Ronnie McCoury, Sam Bush, Frank Wakefield, Bobby Osborne, Jesse McReynolds, Ricky Skaggs & Buck White for ''Bluegrass Mandolin Extravaganza''

2000 Recorded Event Of The Year: David Grisman, Ronnie McCoury, Frank Wakefield, Sam Bush, Bobby Osborne, Jesse McReynolds, Ricky Skaggs & Buck White for ''Bluegrass Mandolin Extravaganza''

2002 Instrumental Group Of The Year: Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder

2003 Instrumental Group Of The Year: Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder

2004 Instrumental Group Of The Year: Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder

2005 Instrumental Group Of The Year: Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder

2006 Instrumental Group Of The Year: Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder

2008 Recorded Event of the Year: Everett Lilly & 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, Rad Lewis, Andy May, Darrin Vincent, Marcia Campbell, Clay Rigdon, Eric Blankenship and Bill Wolfenbarger (artists); Charles Lilly & Bill Wolfenbarger (producers); Swift River Music

BluegrassJournal.com Readers Poll: We Are Family; Jeff & Sheri Easter, The Lewis Family & The Easter Brothers (artists); Jeff & Sheri Easter (producers); Daywind Records

Other Awards and Accomplishments

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- Listeners' Poll Award BBC Radio 2

''CMT's 40 Greatest Men of Country Music'' rank #37 in 2003.

Judge for the 2nd annual Independent Music Awards

References

Independent Music Awards - Past Judges

1997 Interview with Ricky Skaggs

Himes, Geoffrey. (1998). "Ricky Skaggs". In ''The Encyclopedia of Country Music''. Paul Kingsbury, editor. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 486–7.

Ricky Skaggs, age 7, plays with Flatt & Scruggs on the Martha White Show

Ricky Skaggs articles, interviews and CD reviews at Country Standard Time

Ricky Skaggs Biography

External links

Skaggs Family Records

Ricky Skaggs and the Whites at exclaim

Category:1954 births Category:American country singers Category:American country singer-songwriters Category:American country guitarists Category:American male singers Category:American bluegrass musicians Category:American multi-instrumentalists Category:Living people Category:American mandolinists Category:Musicians from Kentucky Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Grand Ole Opry members Category:People from Lawrence County, Kentucky Category:Epic Records artists Category:The Country Gentlemen members Category:Rebel Records artists Category:Rounder Records artists

cs:Ricky Skaggs de:Ricky Skaggs fr:Ricky Skaggs pt:Ricky Skaggs