Skaggs bringing ‘down-home’ Christmas show to Owensboro
As a young boy in eastern Kentucky, Ricky Skaggs lit up every time he heard Bill Monroe’s classic “Christmas Time’s a Comin,” the song that he still says is his holiday favorite.
“When I heard those fiddles kick off the beginning of that song, I just knew Santa Claus was lacing up his boots and hoppin’ on that sleigh to come see me,” Skaggs said. “Back then, you didn’t hear Christmas music from Thanksgiving on like we do now; it was really only the days before Christmas, so when that song came on, I knew it was close, and that was exciting.”
That song has also been a staple in Skagg’s Christmas show for decades, so you can bet that same fiddle intro will get toes tapping and faces smiling on December 5 when Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder help kick off the Christmas season with their show at the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and Museum.
To get an idea of what the setlist might be, go back and listen to A Skaggs Family Christmas Volume 1 (2005) and Volume 2 (2011), which critics say is reminiscent of a family sing-along by the fireplace on Christmas Eve. Both albums are a mix of traditional carols, beloved bluegrass seasonal favorites, and original holiday tunes.
I’ve had the pleasure of interviewing Skaggs, a Bluegrass Hall of Fame member, several times about performing at ROMP and previous shows at the Hall of Fame. But for this issue of Owensboro Living, he gave us a personal glimpse into his own “down-home Christmas” memories and the inspiration behind his Christmas tour with Kentucky Thunder.
One of the songs on your Christmas setlist is “New Star Shining” which you recorded with James Taylor. How did that duet come together?
The songwriter, John Hall, from the ’70s band Orleans, looked me up in the studio one day in Nashville and handed me a cassette of the song. He said he had played it for James and James loved it and mentioned it would be a great song for me to sing on. We actually tried it as a trio with Dan Fogelberg but we couldn’t work it out with his schedule, so James and I just recorded it with the two of us. We each took a verse, and I sang high harmony on the chorus. I love the way it turned out. It was fun shooting the video for it up in New York. We had met once before and had lots of mutual friends. It was fun because we both are big fans of each other.
How did this Christmas show come about?
The tradition of an annual “Skaggs Family Christmas Show” and eventual tour started as a family show with my wife Sharon, her family, and our kids. But as our kids grew to be adults and moved away to do their own things, well, there went half our band, so it went on hiatus for a while.
Then about 4-5 years ago we started doing a Christmas show at the Ryman Auditorium, and my booking agent said he thought he could book about 10 or 12 shows through December if I wanted to. It’s been very popular and we love doing it. We look forward to it every year.
We work up some new and different Christmas songs, and getting to perform it at the Bluegrass Hall of Fame this year will be a special treat for us.
What was Christmas like for you growing up in Brushy Creek in Lawrence County, Kentucky?
It wasn’t glamorous. We were poor but we had enough. One present each, maybe two. My dad was injured on the job at the TVA plant and wasn’t able to work for a long time, so we didn’t have a lot. But what we did have was plenty of love and a whole lot of music! Mom would cook a nice meal. We’d have some good snows over in eastern Kentucky, and that made things feel more like Christmas.
Do you take those traditions and memories with you into this Christmas tour?
Christmas does take on a new and different meaning as kids come along, and grandkids. Our youngest grandchild is 1. But this will be our first Christmas without Mr. Buck (White) so it will be different this year. But he would want us to go on and keep singing these songs
and celebrating.
What can fans expect at this show?
Instead of adding bluegrass to the country shows like I used to do in the ’80s and ’90s, now we add a little country to our bluegrass shows. I just hired a musician that plays dobro, mandolin, fiddle, sings harmony, and steel guitar.
We’ll do another song I recorded called “The Reunion Song” that works at Christmastime because the first line is “born in a manger in a stable in Bethlehem.”
We’ll have drums, pedal steel, and my old electric Telecaster guitar. It’ll be a really good show. We’re bringing incredible musicians. We’ll have a great time!
Music is a poultice when you’re sick. It’s good for the soul. We find with every show we do there’s somebody hurting, or somebody sick that comes to the show, and you just never know how God will use this music to help somebody. That’s what keeps me excited about playing and singing and touring at 71 is the fact that I know we’re not just out there making a living, we’re playing and singing with a purpose. OL
Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder Christmas
7 p.m. on December 5, 2025
Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum
Tickets at bluegrasshall.org
