Ricky Skaggs, Bruce Hornsby to Reunite for Joint Tour
As consummate instrumentalists with a shared regard for the deep roots of mountain music, country-bluegrass legend Ricky Skaggs and versatile songwriter-pianist Bruce Hornsby have forged a musical partnership that will return them to concert stages beginning next month. Featuring Skaggs’ longtime band, the Ricky Skaggs & Bruce Hornsby with Kentucky Thunder Tour launches February 26th in Tarrytown, New York.
“I always get excited when I know I’m gonna get to tour with my good friend Bruce Hornsby,” Skaggs says in a release, adding, “Fireworks always happen!”
For Hornsby, whose wide-ranging collaborations have included working with Bob Dylan, the Grateful Dead, Don Henley, Bonnie Raitt, Ornette Coleman and film director Spike Lee, among others, the opportunity admittedly requires a fair amount of advance preparation.
“The level of virtuosity required to play bluegrass music with the freaks of Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder requires a good deal of practice,” notes the Grammy winner, who first came to prominence with his politically charged 1986 hit, “The Way It Is.” “I always have to prepare a good deal, practicing with the metronome at break-neck speed, crazy tempos, to be able to hang with those guys.”
This year marks the 10th anniversary of the pair’s Ricky Skaggs & Bruce Hornsby LP, which, among other cuts, featured a grassed-up version of Rick James’ 1981 pop-funk hit, “Super Freak.”
Ricky Skaggs & Bruce Hornsby with Kentucky Thunder Tour Dates:
February 26 – Tarrytown, NY @ Tarrytown Music Hall
February 27 – Red Bank, NJ @ Count Basie Theatre
March 1 – Brookville, NY @ Tilles Center for the Performing Arts
March 3 – Lancaster, PA @ American Music Theatre
March 4 – Wilmington, DE @ Grand Opera House, Copeland Hall
March 5 – Verona, NY @ Turning Stone Resort & Casino at the Showroom