Ricky Skaggs is back in the studio for the first time in over a decade. The 15-time Grammy winner releases his new single “Say A Prayer” on June 26 via Skaggs Family Records, distributed by Virgin Music Group, his first new music in more than ten years.
Written by Gordon Kennedy and Ben Cooper, the song blends country, bluegrass, and rock, with instrumentation that runs from sitar to fiddle, mandolin, and banjo. It came together as a response to the struggles facing communities around the world, built on themes of faith, reflection, and unity.
“I’m incredibly excited to share my new single, ‘Say A Prayer,'” Skaggs says. “The song addresses a world carrying a lot of grief right now, serving as a universal call for everyone to stop and lean into faith. It’s got a chorus that resonates with faith, country and rock audiences alike.”
The release arrives in the middle of a packed touring stretch. Skaggs and his band Kentucky Thunder join Dierks Bentley on select dates of Bentley’s Off The Map Summer Tour starting June 12, and Skaggs returns to Nashville’s historic Ryman Auditorium to close out the Bluegrass Nights at the Ryman series on July 21.
He’s coming off one of CMA Fest’s most talked-about moments too. This past Saturday night, Skaggs made a memorable appearance during Carly Pearce’s Nissan Stadium set in Nashville, joining her and Grammy-winning bluegrass star Molly Tuttle for a performance of “From Now On.” Pearce introduced it as a tribute to her Kentucky bluegrass roots, and the collaboration brought three of the genre’s most respected names together for one of the night’s standout moments. The packed stadium ate it up, a reminder of how much pull Skaggs still has across traditional bluegrass and today’s country crowd.