NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Bluegrass star Ricky Skaggs is getting an honorary doctorate from Boston’s Berklee College of Music.
Skaggs, 53, is slated to receive the honor Tuesday during a performance at the Grand Ole Opry, putting him in the company of luminaries such as Duke Ellington, Sting, B.B. King, Dizzy Gillespie, Loretta Lynn and Paul Simon.
“I was elated,” Skaggs said. “It’s a really, really amazing honor because many great musicians have come out of Berklee.”
Berklee president Roger Brown said that by saluting Skaggs, “we shine a light on the present and future of bluegrass; its heritage and its infinite potential. And besides that, the man can pick.”
The latest for him and group Kentucky Thunder, “Honoring the Fathers of Bluegrass: Tribute to 1946 and 1947,” a selection of songs by Bill Monroe and his band, is due out March 25.
The Associated Press
