Nashville,TN – August 19, 2013 – RICKY SKAGGS, one of Bluegrass and Country music’s most recognized ambassadors and BRUCE HORNSBY, one of Pop’s most talented pianists and singer-songwriters are reuniting for the first time since originally collaborating six years ago.  On August 20, 2013 the two music legends will again come together, this time for a live album, titled CLUCK OL’ HEN (Skaggs Family Records).

Bluegrass treasures and lively expanded hits wait to be discovered on this fresh collection of songs from the masterful duo of Skaggs and Hornsby.  These live songs were originally recorded when the two music icons hit the tour circuit in support of their first collaborative album, Ricky Skaggs & Bruce Hornsby.  Hornsby’s spirited piano brings a new dimension to these songs, with electrifying solos and improvisation thrown in the mix of Skaggs, Hornsby and Skaggs’ band, Kentucky Thunder.

“We recorded quite a few of the live performances from our tour and came up with a really great CD,” says Skaggs.  “It’s a great merging of two different styles.  Listening to this live CD just reminded me of how much fun we had touring together.  Every show was a gift.”

Hornsby notes, “I’ve been fortunate to be a part of scores of collaborations through the years.  Along with my time with the Grateful Dead, and the various Spike Lee projects, I consider the long-time association with Ricky to be the deepest and most satisfying collaboration of them all.  Hopefully this record captures the sound of a bunch of guys having a great time playing music together.  That’s what it sounds like to me.”

Without any restrictions, the music is as fascinating and masterful as the two stars who create it.  The pair blends songs drawn from deep roots in mountain music, adding piano and Hornsby’s inimitable songwriting to Skaggs’ instrumental core of mandolin, guitar, bass, fiddle and banjo into a musical feast.  Of course, classic Bluegrass is fully represented with three Bill Monroe tunes, including the fast and furious “Bluegrass Breakdown.”  Punctuating this release is a vibrantly expansive version of Hornsby’s early hit “The Way It Is” and a performance of “White Wheeled Limousine,” and to sum up the free-spirited nature of their collaborations, Skaggs and Hornsby joyfully present the vintage fiddle tune “Cluck Ol’ Hen.”  Skaggs and Hornsby kick up a storm with their mix of high-lonesome harmonies, full throttle Bluegrass pickin’ and improvisational piano.

On collaborating with Hornsby, Skaggs notes, “Working with Bruce Hornsby is a show in itself.  He’s one of the best musicians I’ve ever played with.  His talent level is very high and his take on Bluegrass music is very much like Jazz.  It’s all just free form and fun.”

“I have great respect for the traditions that Ricky Skaggs represents and lives in his music and his life,” says Hornsby of Skaggs.  “When I come into his world, I feel it’s my job to enhance that tradition, and maybe add some new colors to the palette to paint  with.  I also feel it’s my job to make him (and his band) laugh a little.”

Cluck Ol’ Hen is currently available for pre-sale at skaggsfamilyrecords.com.

In addition to releasing the live album, Skaggs and Hornsby hit the road this fall, embarking on the Ricky Skaggs & Bruce Hornsby with Kentucky Thunder Tour.  Thirteen dates are already on the books:
10/3 – Carmel, IN – The Palladium
10/4 – Cincinnati, OH – Taft Theatre
10/5 – Nashville, TN – Ryman Auditorium
10/18 – Los Angeles, CA – Royce Hall – UCLA
10/19 – Scottsdale, AZ – Virginia G. Piper Theater
10/20 – Tucson, AZ – Fox Tucson Theatre
10/24 – Broken Arrow, OK – Broken Arrow Performing Center
10/25 – Overland, KS – Carlsen Center
10/26 – Salina, KS – Stiefel Theatre for the Performing Arts
11/1 – Milwaukee, WI – Potawatomi Bingo Casino
11/2 – Burnsville, MN – Burnsville PAC
11/20 – Huntington, NY – The Paramount
11/21 – Morristown, NJ – Mayo Performing Arts Center
About Ricky Skaggs
With 12 #1 hit singles, 14 GRAMMY® Awards, eleven IBMA Awards, eight ACM Awards and eight CMA Awards (including Entertainer of the Year), Ricky Skaggs is truly a pioneer of Bluegrass and Country music.  Since he began playing music more than 50 years ago, Skaggs has released more than 30 albums and has performed thousands of live shows. Skaggs and his band, Kentucky Thunder, continue to keep the tour trail red hot, performing more than 80 live dates each year.  He started his own record label, Skaggs Family Records, in 1997 and has since released 12 consecutive GRAMMY®-nominated albums.

On August 13, 2013, Skaggs will release his first-ever autobiography, “Kentucky Traveler.”  The book details the life and times of Skaggs and provides a descriptive history of Country and Bluegrass music, as told by the master himself.

For more information on Ricky Skaggs, visit www.skaggsfamilyrecords.com.

About Bruce Hornsby
GRAMMY® Award-winning Bruce Hornsby’s work displays a creative iconoclasm that’s been a constant in the artist’s two-and-a-half decade recording career.  His commercial stock soared early on, when “The Way It Is”–the title track of Bruce Hornsby and the Range’s 1986 debut album–became the most-played song on American radio in 1987, winning ASCAP’s “Song of the Year” award.  “The Way It Is” and subsequent hits as “Mandolin Rain” and “Every Little Kiss,” established Hornsby as popular pop act, while high- profile work with the likes of Don Henley and Huey Lewis made him an in-demand collaborator.  He’s performed more than 100 concerts with the Grateful Dead as guest keyboardist.  His work with the Dead encouraged him to incorporate improvisation into his own performances, while Hornsby’s eclectic musical interests have led to venture into a wide array of musical styles.

For more information on Bruce Hornsby, visit www.brucehornsby.com

Cluck Ol’ Hen Track Listing:

1.  Intro: How Mountain Girls Can Love
2.  How Mountain Girls Can Love
3.  Intro: Toy Heart
4.  Toy Heart
5.  Intro: Bluegrass Breakdown
6.  Bluegrass Breakdown
7.  Intro: Darling Corey
8.  Darling Corey
9.  The Way It Is
10.  Intro: The Dreaded Spoon
11.  The Dreaded Spoon
12.  Gulf Of Mexico Fishing Boat Blues
13.  Intro: Sally Jo
14.  Sally Jo
15.  Little Maggie
16.  Intro: Little Maggie
17.  White Wheeled Limousine
18.  Intro: Cluck Ol’ Hen
19.  Cluck Ol’ Hen