ATHENS, Ga. —UGA Presents is bringing Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder to Athens Oct. 26 for a 7:30 p.m. performance in Hodgson Concert Hall. Skaggs is a 15-time Grammy Award winner who began his career as a bluegrass musician in 1971 and has since become one of the most honored artists in country music history.

A native of Cordell, Kentucky, Skaggs started playing mandolin on stage with bluegrass pioneer Bill Monroe at age six and appeared on TV the following year with Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs.

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. His productive partnership with Epic Records resulted 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.

Skaggs has also been honored with inductions into the Gospel Music Association’s Gospel Music Hall of Fame and the Musicians Hall of Fame, the National Fiddler Hall of Fame, the IBMA Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and country music’s greatest honor, the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Tickets for the Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder concert start at $50; availability is limited. Tickets can be purchased at the Performing Arts Center box office, online at pac.uga.edu or by calling 706-542-4400. A limited number of discounted tickets are available to current UGA students for $10 with a valid UGA ID (limit one ticket per student).

The concert is supported by Carol and Paul Kurtz, Amy and Hank Huckaby and James and Patricia Bozman.

Hodgson Concert Hall is located in the UGA Performing Arts Center at 230 River Road in Athens.