Sunny Songs: Waiting for the Sun to Shine

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Okay, your break from the country music is over. But just for one day. Yes, I know that yesterday’s song (“Tequila Sunrise”) could qualify as “country-ish” (and would probably be “too country” in today’s market), but this is the real deal. There won’t be any argument about whether this is country or not. So Linda? NO!!!!! and here we go. Waiting for the Sun to Shine - Ricky Skaggs You have someone who was inducted into both the Country Music and Bluegrass halls of fame the same year, so you bet yer boots this won’t be mistaken for a Led Zep song. And how about this, I got BOTH Boz Scaggs AND Ricky Skaggs in the same countdown!!! Skaggs had a long career before this “debut” album. He’d been working in bluegrass in the 70s, and had done some recordings with Keith Whitley (who also had a long career before his “debut”). He decided to try traditional country at a time when the Urban Cowboy phase was a going strong. That could have been a disaster; instead, he and George Strait helped guide country music back to its roots for what apparently was the final time, the 80s “neo-traditional” movement. Oh, no, won’t see that no more. Skaggs left NO clue as to what his purpose was. Most of the songs on his first album for Epic Records were covers of country (“Your Old Love Letters,” “Low and Lonely”) or bluegrass (“Lost to a Stranger,” “Don’t Get Above Your Raisin’”) songs. The notable exception was the title song, written by songwriting great Sonny Throckmorton (who wrote Strait’s “The Cowboy Rides Away” and the Judds’ “Why Not Me”). It’s a simple, beautiful ballad, showcasing just how clear Skaggs’ voice is. It’s still one of my favorite Ricky Skaggs songs. Waiting for the Sun to Shine Written by Sonny Throckmorton Recorded by Ricky Skaggs From Waiting for the Sun to Shine, 1981 I know it will be some time: