Country Boy (Ricky Skaggs song)

"Country Boy"
Single by Ricky Skaggs
from the album Country Boy
B-side "Wheel Hoss"
Released February 1985
Recorded 1984
Genre Country pop, bluegrass
Length 3:30
Label Epic
Writer(s) Tony Colton
Albert Lee
Ray Smith
Producer(s) Ricky Skaggs
Ricky Skaggs singles chronology
"Something in My Heart"
(1984)
"Country Boy"
(1985)
"You Make Me Feel Like a Man"
(1985)

"Country Boy" is a song written by Tony Colton, Albert Lee, and Ray Smith of the British band Heads Hands & Feet, and recorded by American country music artist Ricky Skaggs. It was released in February 1985 as the second single and title track from the album Country Boy. The song was Ricky Skaggs' ninth number-one country hit. The single went to number one for one week and spent a total of thirteen weeks on the country chart.[1]

Music video

The music video for "Country Boy" was set in New York City. In the video, a man named Uncle Pen played by Bill Monroe is visiting Ricky in his New York City office and is upset that Ricky has shed his country ways. ("Uncle Pen" is a song played by Bill Monroe.) Ricky leads Uncle Pen through New York City's streets, sights, and subways and shows through song and dance that he's still a "country boy at heart". It was directed by Martin Kahan. The video includes cameos by Ed Koch, the then-incumbent Mayor of New York City, as a cabdriver, dancer Charlotte d'Amboise, plus actor David Keith as a disgruntled New Yorker trying to ignore the dancers.[2] The video was one of four nominees for the first "Music Video of the Year" honor presented by the 19th Country Music Association Awards in October 1985.[3][4] While Skaggs was named "Entertainer of the Year", the "Country Boy" video lost out to "All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight" by Hank Williams, Jr. and director John Goodhue.[3]

Chart performance

Chart (1985) Peak
position
U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles 1
Canadian RPM Country Tracks 1

References

  1. Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 315.
  2. Kirby, Kip (March 2, 1985). "Nashville Scene". Billboard. p. 53. Retrieved July 20, 2010.
  3. 1 2 "19th Annual CMA Awards". CMT. MTV Networks. Retrieved July 20, 2010.
  4. Stambler, Irwin; Landon, Grelun; Stambler, Lyndon (November 1997). Skaggs, Ricky. Country Music: The Encyclopedia (St. Martin's Press). p. 441. ISBN 978-0-312-15121-8. Retrieved July 20, 2010.

External links

Preceded by
"Natural High"
by Merle Haggard
Billboard Hot Country Singles
number-one single

June 15, 1985
Succeeded by
"Little Things"
by The Oak Ridge Boys
Preceded by
"Don't Call Him a Cowboy"
by Conway Twitty
RPM Country Tracks
number-one single

June 22, 1985
Succeeded by
"She's a Miracle"
by Exile
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