Ricky Skaggs - Highway 40 Blues "Live In London" 1985

[jimu57]

Bruce Bouton on the steel is amazing. That is his intro. Fantastic player!

[jamesskb]

@jimu57 Bruce, like JayDee Maness, is an awesome steel man. Saw Skaggs, in the early 80's with all of the A pickers off of his first two LP's. Great show!! This is good, but personally, I really miss Ray Flacke!!!

[morgankitty1]

that steel kicks ass !

[jimweesesr]

great song love it

[Thebluesandme]

He was young back then

[TheSkaggs54]

Love Ricky Skaggs lead on this it makes me miss him playing electric guitar a lot well for the few albums he'd play himself!!

[XxshipleyxX]

Used to Love Ray rip the lead guitar on this one.

[rocmaven]

Ricky Skaggs Aug 26, 2011 Watseka Theatre watseka IL. Thats where the party will be.

[runningislyfe]

Gotta love some Skaggs

[jumpscoach2007]

Everyone in the band has a mullet or a mustache..... or both.

Everyone except for the guy on lap steel.... he doesn't fit, so i don't trust him

[2handsforchrist]

@jumpscoach2007 don't forget the gent on bass....he has neither...but he does have a full beard.

[kodyrbear]

What a great performance. Too bad that either the camera man, the editors, or both totally screwed up Ricky's killer telecaster solo.

[randytelecaster]

I play bluegrass gospel too but I wish Ricky would pick up that Tele again !

[sidcarp1]

i was at this show best country band i ever heard

[midwesttex]

does the UK have a hy 40?

[Benj888]

Chicken Pickin!!!!!!!!!

[MrTerryhubbard]

love the double-picken

[LifesonFan4Life]

I was fortunate enough to see Mr Skaggs in Sudbury , Canada around '89 and he completely blew my mind .. he did a blues solo that would of left Eric Clapton a puddle of nothing on the stage .. my god that guy can play anything .. a complete showman .. glad I had the pleasure of seeing him and his kick ass band perform .. an unbelievable night !!!

[GymFloozie]

This is one tight-ass band. Ricky always knew how to get the very best players.

[2handsforchrist]

@GymFloozie My father is the guy back there on bass guitar and it sure does make me proud when people speak well of the music he made with Ricky.

[wa1ufo]

Tele's are great!! So is Ricky.

[GymFloozie]

They never made another guitar that sounds like a Tele. And Ricky can flat play that sucker.

[Alabamaexpress]

Bruce Bouten was an integral part of the SKaggs sound great steel player

[philharveyjr]

Bruce Bouton is pretty darn fair on the steel, too!

[ming746]

this is back when country music actually was country music. and as you can see from his dress it was back when  they didnt play dress up cowboy like they do today. they dont come much countrier than ricky skaggs.

[toekneetalavera]

its joey from full house

[BATENKILL]

I never knew Bobby Hicks played banjo on the Highway 40 blues????? WHO

[d18dude]

@BATENKILL Yea, Hicks played it in concert, but I think Bela played on the studio recording.

[d18dude]

@BATENKILL Yea, Hicks played it in concert, but I think Bela played on the studio recording. Lou Reid on rhythm guitar and vocals too.

[smuffjules]

@BATENKILL Bela did the original session

[TheTore71]

I totally agree;-) facial hair has never looked better, and what a light and pleasant voice..

[joelostrom86]

LOL, oh Ricky! what fashionable sense... gotta love that 'stache, the hair and the jacket

however he blows me away with that mandolin solo and then that tele solo. one of my fav's, what a talent.

[mandospence]

Amazing. The way he rips on that mando through the first half and then kills it with the b-bender in the second half just rules.

[MrKyleMac]

one of the greatest solos in history

[greekflatpicker]

1:49....oh man..Ricky plays a *killer* guitar solo in there.

Great artist/player

[spadinajack]

What a performance ! I remember hearing this GREAT song performed by a bar band here in Toronto way back in 1984 or 85, and I was knocked out. I went right out and bought Ricky's album ! Ahhhh memories !

[warri0rs0ul]

I was at the gig, I recall hearing it was the guy out of Hill Street Blues, Charles Haid (Renko) who introduced the band on-stage. Also he audience shots may have been taken from another concert as the Dominion was half empty.

[BigBoiJC]

yes it sure was Mr. Haid. and the guy who intro'ed Ricky was Gary Smith (the piano player). WarriorSoul, The whole CD/Video project was shot over at least two nights.

[PrincessPignatelli]

I meant Dominion. I don't really like commenting on youtube, as it's only a matter of time before one is gratuitously insulted!

All part of the fun? I don't think so...

[PrincessPignatelli]

Also he never introduced the band that night, which was a bit lame and selfish.

[musicianforjesus]

He did introduce the band. its on the CD right before this song actually.

[PrincessPignatelli]

At that gig (lyceum) he really didn't introduce the band . I'm certain of that. If it's on the CD, then it must have been put on from another gig. Anyway, they got a perfunctory thanks at the end, and who really cares, all these years later.

[BigBoiJC]

they did both recordings over a period of a few nights. (at least two that i can count). so the intros didn't get shown on the video portion of the package but the cd has the intros on them.

[2handsforchrist]

@PrincessPignatelli how many skaggs country shows have you been to? because i've been to many shows and he's always introduced the band or given them credit for the work they do.

[BigBoiJC]

he sure did...it's on the CD.

[PrincessPignatelli]

I was there, for what it's worth. Can anybody offer an explanation as to why Ray Flacke wasn't?

[musicianforjesus]

Ray had left the band by this time.

[BigBoiJC]

Flacke was fired because of his attitude from what i've been told.

[dragknuckle]

Back in the days when you could play a purple guitar without looking gay.

[leath75wa091975]

I remember one time on the opry when Ricky and Keith Urban did a duet version of this classic.

[elbob17]

The mid 80's were the best for country music. Not digging Ricky's jesus angle over the last 15 years but loved his early shit.

[AuGirl1305]

You'll probably wish you liked him when you're in hell.

[elbob17]

Pipe down, Jesus freak. This is no time talk about your heaven and hell fantasy land. Christians are silly.

[AuGirl1305]

ok then. We shall all see

[BigBoiJC]

no sir...christians are NOT silly. we take the supernatural God and his kingdom seriously. at least REAL christians do...not those who use God's name to steal, kill, and destroy.

[peterguit]

I've had this album for a long time. Saw him on the same tour in Utrecht, Holland. Didn't know they also filmed this show. Great sound from his telly. Thanx

[roundrocktx]

I tought it was Rotterdam,Doelen..

[peterguit]

Maybe also, but I definately saw Ricky in Utrecht. Then ten years later in Nashville with kentucky thunder

[mandospence]

It's hard to take anyone with a perm and a mustache serious ;-) ...but Ricky Skaggs can (and has always been able to) do anything he ever wanted. This is one of my favorite songs ever written and Ricky Skaggs has always been one of the best.

[monster4josh]

Shouldn't Albert Lee be in on the proceedings? Oh well...

[dragknuckle]

In an interview in "Guitar Extra", Skaggs said that Albert Lee was too expensive and Vince Gill didn't work out.

[monster4josh]

Do you mean that Vince had tried out for the gig but didn't work out? For what reason, I'm curious to know.

[BigBoiJC]

I never heard about this. what are you talking about?

[2handsforchrist]

@monster4josh now how awesome would that have been?



[ledhead1978]

Where's Ray Flacke on lead guitar?

[smitty54017]

I'm not sure if Ray was a regular part of Ricky's touring band. When I saw Ricky in '97, he was using George Strait's drummer.

[BigBoiJC]

I would have loved to see Kennedy play with Ricky again. I never got to see him when Ricky did that tour you're talking about. When Martin left (the drummer in the video) Kennedy auditioned for Ricky and got the job.

[BigBoiJC]

Flacke was fired because whenever Ricky was ask him to do one thing he would do another. it was this "I know better than you so it doesn't matter if you're the boss" attitude.

[musicianforjesus]

He had left the band by this time

[cprattguitar]

This is one of the best videos I've ever seen, PERIOD.

[pedalman]

Ricky Skaggs at his very best with the best band he has ever had.

[ChickenFriedprod]

thank you so much for this amazing song!

[BigBoiJC]

is this straight from VHS?

[SoundOnVision]

Yes, the original media source was VT.