SKAGGS BRINGS COUNTRY TO FOREIGN COUNTRIES

Now that Ricky Skaggs, at 31, has matured into one of Nashville’s hottest musical exports, what he’d like to tackle next is organizing an American country music invasion of Europe.

“When we were touring in places like England, Ireland, Germany and Sweden earlier this year and the folks in the audience were singing along with our tunes, well, it just thrilled the heck out of me,” said Skaggs, who will be playing tonight at the Universal Amphitheatre.

“It humbles me down and makes me awful thankful for the chance to play over there,” Skaggs continued in his soft Kentucky mountain drawl. “At the same time, I’m going to do everything I can to open some doors for other country acts abroad. Pop singers and bands have been going over there for years, and now it’s our turn. We got something to say to those people over there.”

Skaggs has good reason to use the first person plural. He’s in the vanguard of a recent and growing movement toward neo-traditionalism in country, a “new wave” that weaves elements of bluegrass, old-timey folk and even jazz into its fabric and includes among its proponents John Anderson, George Strait and Reba McIntyre.

But don’t expect Skaggs to take the credit for country’s rediscovery of its roots--and of new audiences for its revitalized sound.

“What I’m doing now, and what I’ve been doing for a while here, is just staying true to my bluegrass upbringing,” Skaggs explained. “It’s the whole idea of bringing a real band on stage and being part of that band, not just in front of it. It’s keeping the players up front, where they ought to be. Nothing so special about that, really. It just makes good sense to me.”

It would make sense, considering that Skaggs is a virtuoso mandolinist, guitarist and fiddler as well as possessor of one of country’s most natural tenor voices. The player’s viewpoint is one Skaggs said he’s had “ever since I decided to go for it in this business.”

A full-time pro since age 15, Skaggs was only in his teens and early twenties when he played in a number of bands, including those of bluegrass great Ralph Stanley’s Clinch Mountain Boys, the Country Gentlemen and J. D. Crowe’s the New South. His widening circle of acquaintances brought Skaggs in touch with Emmylou Harris, who asked him to replace Rodney Crowell in her Hot Band in 1977.

“That was the real breakthrough for me as a professional,” Skaggs recalled. “Once I started playing in front of all those big houses, I said to myself, ‘I think I’m in this business for keeps now.’ ” After helping with the production and writing on Harris’ acclaimed “Roses in the Snow” LP, Skaggs moved to Nashville in 1980.

He’s been moving up ever since. The last few years have witnessed all sorts of awards and hits for the self-professed “country boy from Cordell, Ky.”: three gold records for Epic, a handful of No. 1 singles, a 1984 Grammy and several country music kudos. This year, his “Country Boy” LP is just about to go gold and he’s up for six Country Music Assn. awards, including Entertainer of the Year.

“It sure feels nice getting famous for doing something I’ve been trying to get right for years now,” Skaggs noted with a chuckle. “I just want to make sure I keep on trying. One thing’s for sure: I ain’t no white knight out to save country music from formula and packaging. I’m just making good music.”

Though he credits his Christian living and prayer for providing “the peace to make good decisions about my life,” Skaggs also concentrates on the packaging of his talent. He insists on producing his own albums, and he has final say on the lighting, sound and production of his live appearances.

“The Lord’s given me a talent to know how to run my business, and for me, that’s 90% of the battle right there in this industry--knowing what’s right for you and going right ahead and doing it,” Skaggs said. “Letting other people run your professional life is what’s ruined a lot of performers so far, and that’s not going to happen to me.”

A live album, recorded in England earlier this year, is scheduled to be released next month, and Skaggs said it will highlight the up-tempo bluegrass side of his personal country blend.

“It’ll also show that there’s a place for good country music in Europe,” Skaggs added. “I mean, playing ‘Cry My Heart Out Over You’ in Manchester isn’t like playing it in Nashville. But you know what? Those folks in the audience were singing right along--and they knew every word. Ain’t that something?”