Country Boy (Ricky Skaggs song)
"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 Skaggs' ninth number-one country hit. The single went to number one for one week and spent a total of 13 weeks on the country chart.[1]
| "Country Boy" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Ricky Skaggs | ||||
| from the album Country Boy | ||||
| B-side | "Wheel Hoss" | |||
| Released | February 1985 | |||
| Recorded | 1984 | |||
| Genre | Country, country rock, bluegrass | |||
| Length | 3:50 | |||
| Label | Epic | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Tony Colton Albert Lee Ray Smith | |||
| Producer(s) | Ricky Skaggs | |||
| Ricky Skaggs singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Music video
The music video for "Country Boy" was shot 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 which Ricky covered and took to #1 a year prior) 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 who comes in at the end of the video looking for Ricky.[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 |
|---|---|
| US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[5] | 1 |
| Canadian RPM Country Tracks | 1 |
References
- Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 315.
- Kirby, Kip (March 2, 1985). "Nashville Scene". Billboard. p. 53. Retrieved July 20, 2010.
- "19th Annual CMA Awards". CMT. MTV Networks. Retrieved July 20, 2010.
- 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.
- "Ricky Skaggs Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.