Skaggs's music career began in 1970 when he joined Ralph Stanley's bluegrass band, the Clinch Mountain Boys. He plays mandolin, fiddle, guitar and banjo. For a few years, Skaggs was a member of Emmylou Harris's "Hot Band". He wrote the arrangements for Harris's bluegrass-roots album, Roses in the Snow. In addition to arranging, Skaggs sang harmony, and played mandolin and fiddle. In 2000, he shared the stage with the jam band Phish.
Skaggs moved to Nashville in 1980 and was signed to Sony Records, where he produced his debut album, Waitin' For The Sun To Shine. The album produced four successful singles, including two number one country hits. Many people say he rescued country music from the doldrums it had found itself in the 1970s. He was invited to join the Grand Ole Opry in 1982. He racked up 12 number one hits and 6 top ten singles during the 1980s. Skaggs picked up dozens of industry awards in the ensuing years.
He has made many fans due to his dedication to the traditional bluegrass style of music. "I always want to try to promote the old music, as well as trying to grow (musically), and be a pioneer too," Skaggs once said. Because of this approach to his music, Skaggs has been considered to be the founding father of Neotraditional Country.
From Wikipedia;
Early career:
Ricky Skaggs started playing music after he was given a mandolin by his fater, Hobert. At age 5, he played mandolin on stage with Bill Monroe. At age 6, he appeared on television's Martha White country music variety show, playing with Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs. he also wanted to audition for the Grand Ole Opry at the time, but was told he was too young.
In his mid-teens, Skaggs met a fellow teen prodigy, guitarist Keith Whitley and the two started playing together with Whitley's banjoist brothr Dwight on radio shows. By 1970, they had earned a spot opening for Ralph Stanley and Skaggs and Keith Whitley were thereafter invited to join Stanley's band, the Clinch Mountain Boys.
Skaggs later joined J.D. Crowe's New South. For a few years, Skaggs was a member of Emmylou Harris's Hot Band. He wrothe the arrangements for Harris's 1980 bluegrass-roots album, Roses in the Snow. In addition to arranging for Harris, Skaggs sang harmony and played mandolin and fiddle.
Neotraditionalism and experimentation:
Into the 1990s and 2000s, Skaggs has embraced his bluegrass roots, as well as experimenting with new sounds. With his band, Kentucky Thunder, he is a perennial winner of Grammy Awards and International Bluegrass Music Association for best bluegrass album.
"I always want to try to promote the old music, as well as trying to grow, and be a pioneer too, "Skaggs once said.
In 2000, he shared the stage with Vermont-based jam band, Phis. On March 20, 2007, Skaggs released an album with rock musician Burce Hornsby.
In 2007, Skaggs is slated to release and album he recorded with The Whites on his Skaggs Family Records label.
In 2008, Skaggs recorded a bluegrass version of "old Enough" by the Raconteurs with Ashley Monroe and the Raconteurs. He Played mandolin on the track as well as shared vocals with jack White, Brendan Benson, and Ashley Monroe.
Grammy awards
* 1983 Best Country Instrumental Performance: New South (J.D. Crowe, Jerry Douglas, Todd Phillips, Tony Rice, Ricky Skaggs) for Fireball
* 1984 Best Country Instrumental Performance: Ricky Skaggs for Wheel Hoss
* 1986 Best Country Instrumental Performance (Orchestra, Group or Soloist): Ricky Skaggs for Raisin' The Dickins
* 1991 Best Country Vocal Collaboration: Ricky Skaggs, Steve Wariner & Vince Gill for Restless
* 1999 Best Bluegrass Album: Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder for Bluegrass Rules!
* 1998 Best Country Collaboration with Vocals: Clint Black, Joe Diffie, Merle Haggard, Emmylou Harris, Alison Krauss, Patty Loveless, Earl Scruggs, Ricky Skaggs, Marty Stuart, Pam Tillis, Randy Travis, Travis Tritt & Dwight Yoakam for Same Old Train
* 2000 Best Bluegrass Album: Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder for Ancient Tones
* 2000 Best Southern, Country, or Bluegrass Gospel Album: Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder for Soldier Of The Cross
* 2003 Best Country Performance By A Duo or Group With Vocal: Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder for A Simple Life
* 2004 Best Bluegrass Album: Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder for Brand New Strings
* 2006 Best Bluegrass Album: Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder for Instrumentals
* 2006 Best Musical Album For Children, "Songs From The Neighborhood, The Music Of Mr. Rogers"
* 2008 Best Southern, Country, or Bluegrass Gospel Album: Ricky Skaggs and The Whites for Salt Of The Earth
* 2009 Best Bluegrass Album "Honoring The Fathers Of Bluegrass 1946 & 47"
CMA (Country Music Association) Awards
* 1982 Male Vocalist of the Year: Ricky Skaggs
* 1982 Horizon Award: Ricky Skaggs
* 1983 Instrumental Group of the Year: Ricky Skaggs Band
* 1984 Instrumental Group of the Year: Ricky Skaggs Band
* 1985 Entertainer of the Year: Ricky Skaggs
* 1985 Instrumental Group of the Year: Ricky Skaggs Band
* 1987 Vocal Duo of the Year: Ricky Skaggs & Sharon White
IBMA (International Bluegrass Music Association) Awards
* 1998 Instrumental Group Of The Year: Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder
* 1998 Album Of The Year: Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder for Bluegrass Rules!
* 1999 Instrumental Group Of The Year: Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder
* 2000 Instrumental Group Of The Year: Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder
* 2000 Instrumental Album Of The Year: David Grisman, Ronnie McCoury, Sam Bush, Frank Wakefield, Bobby Osborne, Jesse McReynolds, Ricky Skaggs & Buck White for Bluegrass Mandolin Extravaganza
* 2000 Recorded Event Of The Year: David Grisman, Ronnie McCoury, Sam Bush, Frank Wakefield, Bobby Osborne, Jesse McReynolds, Ricky Skaggs & Buck White for Bluegrass Mandolin Extravaganza
* 2002 Instrumental Group Of The Year: Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder
* 2003 Instrumental Group Of The Year: Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder
* 2004 Instrumental Group Of The Year: Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder
* 2005 Instrumental Group Of The Year: Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder
* 2006 Instrumental Group Of The Year: Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder
Other Awards and Accomplishments
* R&R Best New Artist
* Billboard magazine's Artist of the Year
* Musician Magazine- Voted One of the Top 100 Guitarists of the Century
* Artist of the Decade- Listeners' Poll Award BBC Radio 2
* CMT's 40 Greatest Men of Country Music rank #37 in 2003.
* Judge for the 2nd annual Independent Music Awards
When
Ricky Skaggs Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Drop by drop it just won't stop spelling out your name
There's a wild wind howlin' chills me to the bone
All I can do is think of you and your heart of stone.
Every sleepless night I pray and hope it will be true
When I wake up in the morning I won't remember you
You say someday I'll forget you and fall in love again
There's a full moon rising just like the one that shined
On the night you held me tight and told me you were mine
Now there's an empty feelin' where my heart used to be
The day I die I'll still ask why you walked out on me.
I spend every waking hour trying to let go
Won't somebody show me how I've just got to know
You say someday I'll forget you and fall in love again
Well if you're so smart won't you tell my heart when.
You say someday I'll forget you and fall in love again
Well, if you're so smart won't you tell my heart when
Tell me when
In Ricky Skaggs's song When, the singer is expressing how heartbroken he is after a breakup. He describes the weather outside as a cold rain falling and a wild wind howling, which reflects his emotional state. The rain drop by drop spells out the name of his ex-love, and he can't help but think of her heart of stone. He has sleepless nights, praying that he will forget her, but when he wakes up every morning, he still remembers her. He is desperate to let go and move on, but he doesn't know how.
The chorus is an appeal to his ex-girlfriend, asking her when he will be able to move on and forget her. She had told him that he would fall in love again someday, but he just wants to know when that will happen. He questions her intelligence by saying, "Well if you're so smart won't you tell my heart when." This line is particularly poignant because it suggests that even though his ex might know what will happen to him, she is not willing to share that information with him.
The second verse describes a full moon rising, similar to one that was shining on the night the couple met. He remembers the moment when his ex held him tight and told him that he was hers, and the contrast between that memory and the present emptiness he feels is striking. He concludes the song by saying that he spends every waking hour trying to let go, but he still doesn't know how.
* Fun fact: The song was written by country music legends Harlan Howard and Hank Cochran.
* Fun fact: When was released on Ricky Skaggs's 1982 album, Highways & Heartaches, and went to #1 on the Hot Country Songs chart.
* Fun fact: The song was covered by country artist Patty Loveless in the 1990s and was included on her Honky Tonk Angel album.
* Fun fact: When has been covered by several other artists over the years, including Vern Gosdin and Wade Hayes.
* Fun fact: Ricky Skaggs won a Grammy award for his 1985 album, Country Boy, which features the hit song Highway 40 Blues.
* Fun fact: When was one of Ricky Skaggs's breakthrough hits and helped solidify his place in the country music world.
* Fun fact: Ricky Skaggs is known for his mandolin playing as well as his singing and has been performing since the 1970s.
* Fun fact: In addition to country music, Ricky Skaggs has also explored bluegrass and gospel music throughout his career.
* Fun fact: Skaggs has won numerous awards over the years, including 15 Grammy awards and 14 Country Music Association awards.
* Fun fact: Skaggs was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2018.
Chords: Unfortunately, the chords for this song could not be found.
Line by Line Meaning
There's a cold rain falling on my window pane
I'm feeling sad and alone as raindrops keep reminding me of you.
Drop by drop it just won't stop spelling out your name
Each raindrop feels like it's spelling out your name, and it's hard to escape the memories of you.
There's a wild wind howlin' chills me to the bone
The wind is cold and scary, reminding me of the emptiness inside me without you.
All I can do is think of you and your heart of stone.
Even though you hurt me, I can't help but think of you and your heart that seemed so cold and unfeeling.
Every sleepless night I pray and hope it will be true
Every night, I hope and pray that I will finally be able to forget you and move on from this pain.
When I wake up in the morning I won't remember you
I hope that when I wake up, I'll be able to start fresh without any memories of you holding me back.
You say someday I'll forget you and fall in love again
You keep telling me that one day, I'll be able to move on and love someone else again.
Well if you're so smart won't you tell my heart when.
But if you're so sure that I'll be able to move on, can you tell me when that will happen? I need some hope to cling to.
There's a full moon rising just like the one that shined
The full moon reminds me of the night when you declared your love for me and everything felt perfect.
On the night you held me tight and told me you were mine
I remember the night when you held me close and promised that we were meant to be together.
Now there's an empty feelin' where my heart used to be
But now my heart feels empty and broken, and I don't know if I'll ever be able to feel that way again.
The day I die I'll still ask why you walked out on me.
Even if I never get over you, I know that I'll always wonder why you left me and broke my heart.
I spend every waking hour trying to let go
I'm doing my best to move on from you, but it's a constant struggle and it's exhausting.
Won't somebody show me how I've just got to know
I'm begging for someone to show me how to let go and move on, because I can't do it on my own.
You say someday I'll forget you and fall in love again
Once again, you remind me that there may be hope for me yet.
Well, if you're so smart won't you tell my heart when
But again, I need some specifics. When will I finally be able to move on and start to heal?
Tell me when
I'm begging you to give me some hope and some answers. I need to know when I'll be able to start to feel normal again.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Songtrust Ave, Peermusic Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: GILLES GODARD, ROBERT ORRALL, ROBERT ELLIS ORRALL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind