Ricky Skaggs & Bruce Hornsby Coming to St. Louis for a Night of Good Ol' Mountain Music

St. Louis, MO (PRWEB) September 24, 2008 -- Accomplished artists on their own, the pairing of legendary musicians Ricky Skaggs and Bruce Hornsby proved an overwhelming critical and popular success with their fully-realized bluegrass recording. Backed by world-class band Kentucky Thunder, Skaggs and Hornsby will perform in the Anheuser-Busch Performance Hall at the Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center on the campus of the University of Missouri-St. Louis on Saturday, October 4 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $100, $50, $35 and $25 and are on sale now by calling 314.516.4949, or at http://www.touhill.org. The Ricky Skaggs & Bruce Hornsby performance is sponsored by Emerson.

Multiple Grammy Award-winner and Country Music Award-winner Ricky Skaggs has been credited with reviving interest in both country and bluegrass music. Renowned pianist and songwriter Bruce Hornsby is known throughout the music industry as a great collaborator. In 2007, Skaggs and Hornsby combined the best of Skaggs' musical talents and Hornsby's songwriting skills. The result: the Billboard chart topping and aptly named, Ricky Skaggs & Bruce Hornsby. Adding Hornsby's unequalled piano skills to the core bluegrass instruments of mandolin, guitar, bass, fiddle and banjo, the accomplished pair effectively took roots music to next level. Dan Ouellette at Billboard.com wrote, "The album exudes pure fun and even opens a new window on Hornsby's hit, 'Mandolin Rain,' which the pair remakes to fit the lyrics' bluegrass bent." For their live performance at the Touhill, Skaggs and Hornsby will be backed by Skaggs' band Kentucky Thunder.

Skaggs has said that he is "just trying to make a living" playing music, but it is obvious that it's his passion. The 13-time Grammy Award-winner was considered a bluegrass master by the age of 21 and has been in the business for 37 years. Country music catapulted Skaggs to popularity, but his heart belonged to bluegrass, breaking sales records and earning multiple Grammy and International Bluegrass Music Association Awards. He started his own record label, Skaggs Family Records, to focus on bluegrass and other roots music. Skaggs and his stellar band, Kentucky Thunder, have accomplished a lot in the last decade. Skaggs believes that the members of Kentucky Thunder rank among the best musicians he's ever worked with, "Each and every one of the pickers in Kentucky Thunder totally amazes me in every show...and that, to me, outweighs any award we could ever win."

Hornsby is one of those rare, authentic musicians, selling over 11 million copies of his albums world wide, receiving twelve Grammy Award-nominations and playing on more than 100 records (beyond his own 10). His stylistic range is boundless, with successful collaborations with such diverse performers as Bob Dylan, Don Henley, the Grateful Dead, Stevie Nicks, Cowboy Junkies, Shawn Colvin, Bela Fleck, Tupac Shakur and more. His partnership with The Range produced the Grammy Award-winning album "The Way It Is," whose memorable title cut went on to be the most played song on American radio in 1987.

Ricky Skaggs and Bruce Hornsby backed by Kentucky Thunder will perform Saturday, October 4 at 8 p.m. Gold Circle tickets (first four rows of seats) are $100, Zone 1 tickets are $50, Zone 2 tickets are $35 and Zone 3 tickets are $25 and are available at the Touhill Performing Arts Center Ticket Office; online at www.touhill.org; or by phone at 314.516.4949; and toll-free at 866.516.4949. The Touhill's Ticket Office is located at One University Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63121. Seating charts are available online. All St. Louis area students and seniors over 55 receive a 10% discount on two tickets with their I.D. Group discounts are also available.

The Touhill Performing Arts Center (http://www.touhill.org) is located on the north campus of the University of Missouri-St. Louis (http://www.umsl.edu), just 10 minutes from Clayton. (Exit 240 from I-70). There is ample free parking and the UMSL North Campus MetroLink Station is just steps from the Touhill's Main Entrance.

Now in its landmark sixth season of presenting the finest in the performing arts to the St. Louis region, the Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center opened its doors in September 2003. The $52 million facility designed by Pei Cobb Freed and Partners, features the 1,625-seat Anheuser-Busch Performance Hall and the 350-seat E. Desmond and Mary Ann Lee Theater. The not-for-profit Center is the jewel of the University of Missouri-St. Louis campus and is the first impetus and focal point for creating an arts district for students at the University.

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