Source: Todd Holmberg, 785-532-6425, trholm@k-state.edu
Web site: http://www.k-state.edu/mccain/
News release prepared by: Nellie Ryan, 785-532-6415, media@k-state.edu

Thursday, Jan. 7, 2010

COUNTRY, BLUEGRASS MUSIC LEGEND RICKY SKAGGS AND HIS BAND, KENTUCKY THUNDER, TO PERFORM AT K-STATE'S MCCAIN AUDITORIUM

MANHATTAN -- Ricky Skaggs, a country and bluegrass music icon and 14-time Grammy Award winner, will perform with his band Kentucky Thunder at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 28, at Kansas State University's McCain Auditorium. The performance is part of K-State's McCain Performance Series.

Born in 1954 in Cordell, Ky., Skaggs was an accomplished singer and mandolin player by the time he reached his teens. By age 21, Skaggs was considered a recognized master of bluegrass, and later catapulted into country music's mainstream. Known today as bluegrass music's official ambassador, Skaggs has brought the genre to greater levels of popularity with eight consecutive Grammy-nominated bluegrass classics under his label, Skaggs Family Records.

He has received numerous prestigious awards including the Country Music Association's Entertainer of the Year in 1985. His bluegrass albums have earned several recognitions including the International Bluegrass Music Association's Album of the Year. Country Music Television also named Skaggs to its list of "40 Greatest Men of Country Music."

Tickets for Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder are on sale now. Prices start at $17.50 for K-State students and $35 for the general public. Discounts for K-State faculty, children and military also are available. Tickets can be purchased at the McCain Auditorium box office, 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays, or by calling 785-532-6428. More information is available online at http://www.k-state.edu/mccain/

The show will be preceded by a McCain Conversation, "Bluegrass: an American Original," at 6:30 p.m. in 204 McCain. Alfred Cochran, assistant provost and professor of music at K-State, will explore the origins and characteristics of this special genre of uniquely American music. The conversation is free and open to the public.