Ricky Skaggs Gives Audience Two Incredible Surprises During "Will The Circle Be Unbroken" Performance

Oct 26, 2018 by apost team

Ricky Skaggs is a prominent name within the country music industry. His love for music and instruments started when he was young. Skaggs is now 64 years old and was recently inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. During the induction, Skaggs was moved by a special piece of history that came out for one more performance.

Skaggs was born in Cordell, Kentucky in 1954. He grew up being surrounded by country music legends that helped instill within him a love and appreciation for this genre of music. Skaggs played alongside Emmylou Harris, Flat & Scruggs and even became good friends with Keith Whitley.

A great deal of Skaggs' talent is due in part to these iconic musicians who had a great influence on his music. There was one artist who gave Skaggs' his own mandolin and a chance to play in front of the world.

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Bill Monroe, often called the Father of Bluegrass, was a mentor to Skaggs and gave the young artist his own mandolin. The two artists remained friends throughout the years and bonded over their love for music. Skaggs and Monroe were fortunate enough to perform together many times in their lives. When a Bill Monroe statue was revealed at Nashville's Ryman Auditorium, Ricky Skaggs had the honor of revealing it in 2017.

A year after revealing the Bill Monroe statue, the Country Music Hall of Fame announced Ricky Skaggs' induction. 

Skaggs expected to play a few songs during the ceremony, but he could not have predicted the surprise that the museum had planned.

While Skaggs was standing on stage, an announcer began talking about the mandolin that had been given to him by Bill Monroe decades ago.

While the announcer was describing the meaning of the mandolin, a man carried out the famous Gibson F-5 Master Model and handed it to Skaggs. The artist was obviously taken aback as he marveled at the mandolin and studied every inch of the instrument.

It had been almost 60 years since Skaggs had handled the mandolin. After a few moments of silence, Skaggs began plucking the strings as the entire crowd sang along.

Another surprise was in store for the crowd as Garth Brooks walked onto stage. He asked Skaggs to play a double solo. Skaggs was more than happy to obliges saying, "I'll play this thing anytime". Brooks started singing and the crowd began clapping and whistling. It was a truly momentous occasion for everyone involved.

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