Article: Skaggs picks country basics // His `Star Wars' approach turns industry on its head

WASHINGTON Six years ago, Ricky Skaggs was typecast as a bluegrass musician. Now he's the George Lucas of Nashville.

Lucas' "Star Wars" trilogy revived the science-fiction movie genre by mixing a genuine reverence for old values with a dazzling application of modern technology.

Skaggs and his back-to-basics approach have turned country music on its head in the same way - dressing up a rich but underexposed form without betraying its integrity.

Lucas "was using the technology but taking it back, too, to real people and real life," Skaggs said. "And that's what we're able to do with old songs and musicians that no one ever really heard of."

Skaggs will join fellow country stars Merle ...

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