16 Biggest Hits

Ricky Skaggs | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 20, 2011)
• Original Release Date: September 12, 2000
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Epic/Legacy
• ASIN: B00004XSX9
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,864 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #27 in Music > Christian > Southern Gospel
  • #50 in Music > Christian > Country & Bluegrass

Editorial Reviews

16 Biggest Hits by Ricky Skaggs

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Tunes But Only Half Of His Best, July 17, 2003

By 

James E. Bagley "Jim Bagley" (Sanatoga, PA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: 16 Biggest Hits (Audio CD)

In the early '80s, Ricky Skaggs was one of the leaders of the New Traditionalist movement who steered country away from the pop crossover stylings typified by Kenny Rogers and Barbara Mandrell and back toward its roots. Skaggs' sound is actually an amalgamation of bluegrass, western swing, and traditional country, with vocals that drive home his old-fashioned, mountain upbringing.

Not possessing the matinee idol good looks of a George Strait, it is a tribute to his immense skills as a musician (fiddle, mandolin, acoustic guitar, and banjo) and singer (one of themost supple tenors around) that Skaggs was able to make such a big impact in modern country music. This set captures about half of his hits on the Epic label in the '80s.

Skaggs' early releases were dominated by remakes of songs made popular in the 50s and 60s by his bluegrass heroes with Flatt & Scruggs "Don't Get Above Your Raisin'" and "Crying My Heart Out Over You" getting the set off to a lesiurely start, followed by Reno & Smiley's "I Wouldn't Change You If I Could," the Stanley Brothers' "Don't Cheat In Our Hometown" and Bill Monroe's toe-tapping "Uncle Pen." Interspersed covers of Webb Pierce's "I Don't Care" and "Honey (Open That Door)" offer a change of pace dripping with classic country and western style. The disc winds down with Skaggs adding a bit more variety to his musical pallet on the power picker "Country Boy" and the live "Cajun Moon."

By the early 90s, traditional country was bombarded by the noisier sounds of contemporary artists like Garth Brooks, and country radio was concentrating on artists under 40. Skaggs was no longer an upper-chart placing presence and in 1992, he and Epic parted ways. To get all of the classic Epic hits, check out the two-disc Country Gentleman: The Best Of Ricky Skaggs.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars As good as Ricky gets, October 9, 2000

By 

"debbie-n-va" - See all my reviews

This review is from: 16 Biggest Hits (Audio CD)

While I am a true blue fan of Ricky Skaggs, I am much more at home with his newer bluegrass endeavors; but these songs on this CD, which go back as far as 1980, are the songs that made me fall in love with this multi-talented performer. Songs such as "Crying my Heart out Over You", "You May See Me Walking", "I Don't Care", "I Wouldn't Change you If I Could", "Highway 40 Blues", etc. are the songs that put Ricky Skaggs on the charts. Even though the songs are country and not bluegrass, I enjoy listening to them again. The songs reflect Ricky's zest for his music and all the songs are as fresh today as they were 20 years ago. I have most of these songs on various LP's that I bought over the years, but it is nice to have all the hits on one CD. It is well worth the money for die-hard Ricky Skaggs or country music fans. It's a great compilation of his hit songs.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars *both* bluegrass and country, January 19, 2005

By 

K. Ericson "ericsonk" (Fort Wayne, Indiana United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: 16 Biggest Hits (Audio CD)

Whether you prefer Ricky's country music or bluegrass music, there's a combinaton of both on this album. I'm a BIG fan of his bluegrass music (BLUGRASS RULES!), so I wasn't personally overwhelmed with the electronic and steel guitar stuff on this album - but my least favorite Ricky Skaggs song is WAY better than 99% of everything else that's out there!