Born Rickie Lee Skaggs on the 18th July 1954 in Cordell, Kentucky USA, he is a famed bluegrass musician, best known to the world for his solo career which spans over five decades, in which he has released more than 30 studio albums, some of which achieved gold and platinum status, including “Waitin` For The Sun To Shine” (1981), “Highways & Heartaches” (1982), and “Country Boy” (1984), among others. His career has been active since the early 1960s.
Have you ever wondered how rich Ricky Skaggs is, as of mid-2016? According to authoritative sources, it has been estimated that Skaggs` net worth is as high as $20 million, earned through his successful career in the entertainment industry as a musician. Apart from his solo career, Ricky was also been a part of several bands, including Country Gentleman band and Emmylou Harris‘ Hot Band, which also improved his net worth.
Ricky Skaggs Net Worth $20 Million
Ricky received his first mandolin when he was five years old; a year later he was already performing on stage, with none other than Bill Monroe. When he was seven, he participated in Martha White`s variety show, with Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs, and also wanted to audition for Grand Ole Opry, but was declined, the reason being that he was too young at the time.
As he grew older, his ambitions also increased, and with Keith Whitley started playing on radio shows, with the addition of Keith`s brother who played banjo. Little by little, they became more and more known, and started opening regularly for Ralph Stanley, and eventually became part of the Stanley`s Clinch Mountain Boys Band, but that didn`t last long, as Ricky joined The Country Gentleman, and in 1976 he started his own bluegrass band – Bone Creek, which featured Vince Gill and Jerry Douglas. He was also part of the Emmlylou Harris`s Hot Band, but apart from playing, he also did arrangements for the album “Roses In The Snow”. All these ventures, increased Rickie`s net worth, however, until the 1980s and his own career, Ricky`s net worth didn`t change that much.
Later, when he earned a name for himself, Ricky started the band Kentucky Thunder, with which he released nine studio albums, including “Brand New Strings” (2004), “Instrumentals” (2006), and “Honoring The Fathers Of Bluegrass: Tribute to 1946 and 1947), which topped the US Blue Grass chart.
His first solo album came out in 1975, entitled “That`s It”, but failed to chart with low sales, however, it all changed with Ricky`s third album “Waitin` For The Sun To Shine” (1981), which reached No. 2 on the US Country chart, and achieved Gold status in USA and platinum in Canada, which only increased his net worth by a large margin. Ricky continued successfully through the 1980s with albums “Highways & Heartaches” (1982), “Don`t Cheat In Our Hometown” (1983), and “Country Boy” (1984), which all topped the US Country chart, and achieved platinum and gold status in the USA and Canada, increasing further his net worth. Before the 1980s ended, Ricky released albums “Love`s Gonna Get Ya!” (1986), which reached No. 3 on US Country, and “Comin` Home To Stay” (1988), and “Kentucky Thunder” (1989), which entered top 20.
After the 1980s, Ricky`s popularity began to decline, and his albums couldn`t even reach the top 50 on the charts, with the exception of the album “Solo (Songs My Dad Loved), released in 2009, which topped the Bluegrass charts. His last studio album came out in 2011, entitled “Country Hits Bluegrass Style”, which reached No. 3 on Bluegrass chart.
Ricky has 12 No.1 hits on the US Country and Bluegrass charts, including songs such as “Crying My Heart Out Over You” (1981), “Heartbroke” (1982), “Honey (Open That Door” (1984), “Country Boy” (1985), among many others, all of which helped increase the album sales and his net worth.
During his career, Ricky has received numerous prestigious awards, including the 14 Grammy Awards, 8 CMA Awards, and 8 ACM Awards. As the hallmark of his career, Ricky was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry in 1982, and became the youngest person in history to be inducted.
Regarding his personal life, Ricky has been married to Sharon White, who is a part of the family vocal group The Whites, since 1981; the couple has two children. Previously, he was married to Brenda Stanley, with whom he also had two children.
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