Ricky Skaggs to be first performer at Gardner-Webb's new amphitheater

Gardner-Webb University officials have announced that 15-time Grammy winner Ricky Skaggs will be the inaugural headline performer in the Brinkley Amphitheater. The concert is set during GWU Homecoming festivities on Oct. 28 at 5 p.m. General admission tickets are $35 and went on sale last week.

Skaggs, along with Kentucky Thunder, will bring his legendary style and energy to Boiling Springs and launch a venue that will host a variety of arts and entertainment for years to come.

“This is precisely how we wanted to open our new amphitheater — a nationally recognized musician bringing his tour to our campus on one of the biggest days of the year (Homecoming),” said Gardner-Webb President Dr. William Downs. “Personally, I can’t wait… I’ve been watching the new venue take shape each and every day, and now we can mark our calendars for what will certainly be a memorable inaugural concert. This is a great win for GWU and for our community.”

The 800-seat Brinkley Amphitheater is named for David and Marie Brinkley, longtime university donors who provided the lead naming gift. Additional support for the outdoor performance complex came from a $500,000 budget appropriation from the North Carolina General Assembly, with endorsements from the Boiling Springs Town Council and the Cleveland County Board of Commissioners. Several other university donors have also generously provided financial contributions towards this project.

A member of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Bluegrass Hall of Fame, Skaggs struck his first chords on a mandolin over 60 years ago. By age 6, he was playing mandolin on stage with bluegrass pioneer Bill Monroe and appeared on TV with Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs at 7. By age 21, Skaggs was already considered a “recognized master” of bluegrass, one of America’s most demanding art forms. His life’s path has taken him to various musical genres, from where it all began in bluegrass music, to striking out on new musical journeys, while still leaving his musical roots intact.

Skaggs emerged as a professional bluegrass musician in 1971, when he and his friend Keith Whitley were invited to join the legendary Ralph Stanley’s band the Clinch Mountain Boys. He then went on to record and perform with progressive bluegrass acts like the Country Gentlemen and J.D. Crowe & the New South, whose self-titled 1975 Rounder Records debut album was instantly recognized as a landmark bluegrass achievement. He then led Boone Creek, which also featured Dobro ace and fellow New South alumnus Jerry Douglas.

But Skaggs turned to the more mainstream country music genre in the late ‘70s when he joined Emmylou Harris’ Hot Band, replacing Rodney Crowell. He became a recording artist in his own right in 1981 when his Epic label debut album, “Waitin’ for the Sun to Shine,” topped the country charts and yielded a pair of #1 hits. Overall, his productive stay at Epic Records would result in a total of 12 #1 hits. Additionally, he garnered eight Country Music Association Awards — including the coveted Entertainer of the Year trophy in 1985.

Opening for Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder will be Will Jones, who grew up in Virginia listening to the twangs of mandolin, banjo and fiddle played by his dad. Jones was a fast learner and by the time he was 7 years old, he played lead guitar in his father’s regional touring band. Jones’ music is described as country with a sharp bluegrass edge that’s undeniable in the timbre of his voice and the storytelling in his songwriting.

Gardner-Webb student Lindy Bryson will have the honor of being the first musician to perform on the Brinkley Amphitheater stage as she opens for Jones. Bryson started singing in church when she was 3 years old and has loved music ever since. Her new song. “Muddy Waters,” won first place in the Don Gibson Singer Songwriter Competition.

This article originally appeared on The Gaston Gazette: Ricky Skaggs to be first performer at Gardner-Webb's new amphitheater