Skaggs, Symphony Team for Riverbend
By Barry Courter, Chattanooga Times/Free Press, Tenn.
Jan. 5–Ricky Skaggs, Nashville’s unofficial bluegrass music ambassador, will join the Chattanooga Symphony and Opera June 10 during the Riverbend Festival, according to event talent and production coordinator Joe “Dixie” Fuller.
Also scheduled to perform, according to Mr. Fuller, are the Alan Parsons Live Project and The Machine, a Pink Floyd tribute band.
Mr. Skaggs made his name in country music, but over the past decade has dedicated himself to promoting traditional and bluegrass music. In either genre, the 11-time Grammy award winner is recognized as one of the finest players in the world on the guitar and the mandolin.
“I traveled (as a road crew member) with him for nearly a year, and he is probably the best flat-top guitar player I’ve ever seen,” Mr. Fuller said. “His band, Kentucky Thunder, are excellent as well.”
Maestro Robert Bernhardt, who will conduct the symphony during the performance, has done the show with Mr. Skaggs in another city. He described it as a “history lesson in all things bluegrass” and an “incredible” show.
“Ricky Skaggs is a brilliant musician, and Kentucky Thunder is made of musicians every bit as brilliant,” Mr. Bernhardt said. “The blend between bluegrass and symphonic background is perfect.”
The Alan Parsons Live Project is the brainchild of musician Alan Parsons and is an extension of the Alan Parsons Project, a leading force in computer and electronic music for nearly three decades. Among the latter group’s bestknown songs are “Eye in the Sky” and “Don’t Answer Me.”
Before becoming a recording artist, Mr. Parsons drew praise as a recording engineer, working on The Beatles’ “Let It Be” and “Abbey Road” sessions. His reputation as a studio whiz was solidified by his work on Pink Floyd’s “The Dark Side of the Moon.”
The Alan Parsons Live Project will perform June 16 on the Covista Stage.
The Machine performs a nearly three-hour show filled with a cross-section of material from Pink Floyd’s 30-plus-year career of progressive and experimental rock. Pink Floyd’s elaborate lighting, sound and multimedia productions are faithfully reproduced, according to Mr. Fuller.
The Chattanooga Choo-Choo Stationhouse Gang will open the night of June 10 on the UnumProvident Stage, and The Machine will perform there the rest of the evening, he said.
“It’s the full-blown deal with a laser machine and the total lighting package,” Mr. Fuller said. “The reviews we’ve seen are very positive.”
Riverbend will take place June 8-16. Previously announced acts include The Steve Miller Band and Ten Years After.
E-mail Barry Courter at bcourter@timesfreepress.com
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Copyright (c) 2007, Chattanooga Times/Free Press, Tenn.
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