Ricky Skaggs
Over the course of his 50 plus year career, Ricky Skaggs has won 15 Grammy Awards, 8 CMA Awards, 9 ACM Awards, 13 IBMA (International Bluegrass Music Association) Awards, 9 ICM Awards, 2 Dove Awards, 3 honorary Doctorate degrees and countless other awards.
Ricky has twelve consecutive Grammy-nominated albums, all from his own Skaggs Family Records label.
In the past decade, he has been honored with inductions into the Gospel Music Association’s Gospel Music Hall of Fame and the Musicians Hall of Fame. In 2018, Skaggs was awarded membership into the National Fiddler Hall of Fame, the IBMA Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and country music’s greatest honor, the Country Music Hall of Fame. Most recently, he was awarded the prestigious National Medal of Arts in 2020.
Ricky made his television debut at the age of 7, performing with bluegrass legends Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs on their popular syndicated television show and earning his first paycheck ever for a musical performance.
At 15, Ricky became a member of bluegrass legend Ralph Stanley’s backing band, The Clinch Mountain Boys.
In 1982, Ricky was made the youngest member of the Grand Ole Opry at that time.
Ricky has had 12 #1 singles on the Billboard Country charts and 12 Top 20 Country albums.
In 2013, he released his first-ever autobiography, "Kentucky Traveler: My Life In Music." The book details the life and times of Skaggs and provides a descriptive history of Country and Bluegrass music, as told by the master himself.
With the release of Hearts Like Ours (2014), a dream came true for Ricky and his wife, celebrated artist Sharon White of The Whites. Previously in 1987 the pair won a CMA Vocal Duo of the Year award for “Love Can’t Ever Get Better Than This.” This first-ever studio album is produced by Skaggs and White and features the couple dueting on handpicked country love songs.
As a musician, Ricky is a brilliant traditionalist but is also willing to mix genres, recording and touring with many different artists such as Bruce Hornsby and Ry Cooder. In 2015 and 2016, Ry Cooder, Sharon White and Ricky Skaggs embarked upon the critically acclaimed Cooder-White-Skaggs Songs for the Good People Tour that featured the trio singing gospel, blues and country along with superior musicianship. Backing the trio was Mark Fain on bass, Ry's son Joachim Cooder on drums, with Sharon's father Buck White on piano and sister Cheryl White's harmony vocals.
Lately, Skaggs has added Country tour dates as he plugs in and plays full shows of his chart-topping hits.
Skaggs has also demonstrated wizardry in the studio, producing not only his records but sets from acts such as The Whites and Dolly Parton, as well as the recent Love Remains disc from Hillary Scott & The Scott Family, which won him his 15th Grammy for Best Contemporary Christian Music Album as a producer.
Kentucky Thunder
Band Members
"This group of guys meets my approval every night," Ricky says. "Each and every one of the pickers in Kentucky Thunder totally amazes me in every show...and that, to me, outweighs any award we could ever win." The all-star lineup of Kentucky Thunder includes Russ Carson (banjo), Justus Ross (lead guitar), Troy Engle (vocals, multi-instrumentalist), Gavin Kelso (bass), Mike Rogers (tenor vocals, rhythm guitar) and Billy Contreras (fiddle).
Russ Carson
Russ Carson came by his passion for the banjo honestly: his father has made handcrafted banjos and played old-time fiddle and banjo since the early 1970's. As a result of the never-ending live music played around him while growing up, Russ started playing bluegrass at age 10, and has been an avid student and performer of the genre ever since. During his time as a band member with Gold Heart and subsequently Audie Blaylock & Redline, he was able to
work with industry legends such as Del & Ronnie McCoury, Bobby Osborne, Carl Jackson, Glen Duncan, Lou Reid, and many others. His latest project, Avenue Of The Giants, was described by fellow Pennsylvanian and mentor Tom Adams as being, “right at the edge of the music where they reach out and insist that you become part of the music…,” an accurate portrayal of Russ’ presence on stage with Kentucky Thunder as well. When not performing, Russ creates quality videos and photos using his second love, photography.
Troy Engle
Hailing from Pennsylvania, bluegrass artist Troy Engle grew up with a love for bluegrass and country with a clear goal in mind of becoming a musician at the ripe age of ten years old. Engle’s passion for music has made him into the artist and musician many know and love today. Having been involved with the Nashville music scene for many years, Engle has played just about everywhere, including the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tenn., as well as
bluegrass and country festivals across North America. He’s performed with incredible artists, including Patty Loveless, Larry Sparks, The Isaacs, and Buddy Jewell. Engle has written award-winning bluegrass hits with Dixie and Tom T. Hall and composed music for popular TV shows “The Voice,” “American Pickers,” “Duck Dynasty,” “Pawn Stars,” and even “SpongeBob SquarePants.” He plays all the stringed instruments and released several albums of his original songs as a bluegrass artist. Engle plays mandolin, fiddle, guitar, pedal steel, and sings harmony vocals in Kentucky Thunder and we are pleased to welcome him to the band.
Justus Ross
When Justus Ross received a guitar for his fourth birthday, it began his lifelong obsession with music and flat picking. Within days, Justus taught himself to pick “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” while he continued to play and teach himself other children’s songs by ear. Since starting guitar lessons right before he turned five years old, he has had many teachers and mentors, including O. D. Mitchell, Jake Workman, and Rodley and Bobby Lewis. Along the way he also learned to play piano, dobro,
andmandolin, but put his all into the guitar. As a result of his constant “picking,” his sister and parents began to express interest in bluegrass music, thus forming The Ross Family Band. Being from a small town in Missouri, there were not a lot of opportunities at their back door, but that didn’t stop them! Justus and his family traveled to many festivals, churches and small events sharing their talents, love of Jesus and bluegrass/Gospel music until Justus was 14 years old. Since then, Justus has been a member of bluegrass bands including Po Anna, The Allen Family, Kentucky Just Us and Hurricane Party. With intense drive, lots of practice and a God-given talent, Justus has played famous venues including The Station Inn, the Ryman Auditorium, the Grand Ole Opry, Silver Dollar City, and Dollywood, sharing the stage with bluegrass staples Rhonda Vincent as well as Dailey and Vincent. Justus competed and won in multiple band competitions and in 2022 he won second place in the National Flat Picking guitar competition held in Kansas. When Justus is not performing, he enjoys giving lessons to other aspiring musicians, young or old, in person or virtually.
Billy Contreras
Billy Contreras is a fiddler from Nashville, Tennessee. He studied with Buddy Spicher and Rachel-Barton Pine and has performed or recorded with Lionel Hampton, George Jones, Doc Severinsen, Hank Thompson, Hank Jones, Crystal Gayle, Grady Tate, Charlie Louvin, Al Grey, Ray Price, Marty Stuart, Bela Fleck, the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, and the Nashville Symphony. Contreras is an artist, educator, session player, arranger,
and producer. He teaches at Belmont University, with his musical influences ranging from Frazier Moss to Ottorino Respighi and from Charles Lloyd to Bob Wills. Playing the fiddle in Kentucky Thunder, Contreras is a welcome addition to the band.
Gavin Kelso
A native of Southwest Missouri, now Texas-based Gavin Kelso began his musical journey on the bass guitar while in his early teens, and shortly thereafter became a busy member of the Four-State Area’s community of professional musicians. During this time, he also found his first true musical love – the double bass. Upon graduation from high school, he received a scholarship to attend the University of North Texas, where he
studied with master performer-pedagogues Jeff Bradetich and Lynn Seaton in the largest double bass program in the world. In 2013, Gavin was a finalist in the International Society of Bassists Jazz Competition, where he was also given special recognition as a composer. He has performed with a wide array of artists in as many genres throughout North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. We are excited to welcome Gavin to the band as the bass player for Kentucky Thunder.
Mike Rogers
Best known in Nashville for his drumming skills, many are shocked when they see and hear Mike Rogers up front playing guitar as little do they know that the guitar was his first instrument. Born and raised in Myrtle Beach, S.C., Rogers, whose father Tom was a South Carolina state fiddle champion, took an interest in music at a very early age. By the end of high school, Rogers was backing a former
Liberty Records artist on drums and considering the move to Nashville. After deciding to stay in Myrtle Beach, start a family and play music at the local music theater, Rogers made the move to Nashville in 2002 where he would play drums and some acoustic guitar for the likes of country artist Kevin Denney and Craig Morgan. After a break from the drums to concentrate on lead vocals and acoustic guitar with bluegrass legend Doyle Lawson, Rogers jumped back into country music again with Craig Morgan, this time on acoustic, ganjo and steel guitar. Rogers also includes singer, producer, and songwriter to his resume. In 2009 he co-wrote one of the most played songs that year, “Bonfire,” recorded by Craig Morgan. He has since penned songs for Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, The Lonesome River Band and Jimmy Fortune. He also had the opportunity to produce, perform and write songs for Jimmy Fortune’s album, “Lessons.” With all these wonderful talents, Rogers sings tenor vocals and plays rhythm guitar in Kentucky Thunder.