Great songs by a great artist often get reinterpreted by other musicians, but when the great artist is Ricky Skaggs and he covers his own country hits with a bluegrass sound, the result is a new CD that hits every High Note. Cracker Barrel Old Country Store® is pleased to share this compelling musical combination by exclusively releasing Skaggs’ new CD, “The High Notes,” at all Cracker Barrel stores beginning today.

Skaggs is one of country music’s most popular performers and influential musicians, with 12 Number One hits and dozens of awards, including thirteen Grammy® Awards and eight Country Music Association Awards including Entertainer of the Year. He is a member of the Grand Old Opry® and regularly entertains audiences there with his versatile musicianship. Skaggs’ last four albums have all debuted at Number One on the Billboard Bluegrass chart.

“Many of Ricky’s fans know his most popular songs as country music hits, but when they hear them done bluegrass style, they will be amazed,” said Peter Keiser, vice president of marketing at Cracker Barrel. “We are very pleased to offer this exclusive CD in our stores, where it joins exclusive releases from other popular country artists including Josh Turner, Sara Evans, Alison Krauss and Union Station, and most recently Aaron Tippin.”

Country Weekly’s Editor-in-Chief Larry Holden says, “Hearing Ricky do his country hits with a fresh bluegrass sound is sweet, sweet, sweet! It’s downright irresistible!” Skaggs plays mandolin, guitar, banjo, and the fiddle on this CD, which includes 12 hits such as “Crying My Heart Out Over You,” “Honey (Open That Door),” “Cajun Moon,” “Highway 40 Blues,” and eight other popular songs.

“I have wanted to record bluegrass versions of my Number One country hits for a long time,” Skaggs said. “It’s so great to sing these hit songs again. Many of them I haven’t sung since the 1990s, and I think the bluegrass tracks came out better than the originals. This project was a lot of fun to do, and I’m so pleased Cracker Barrel asked me to work with them.”

About Cracker Barrel
Cracker Barrel Old Country Store® restaurants provide a friendly home-away-from-home in their old country stores and restaurants. Guests are cared for like family while relaxing and enjoying real home-style food and shopping that’s surprisingly unique, genuinely fun and reminiscent of America’s country heritage…all at a fair price. The restaurant serves up delicious, home-style country food such as meatloaf and homemade chicken n’ dumplins as well as its signature biscuits using an old family recipe. The authentic old country retail store is fun to shop and offers unique gifts and self-indulgences.

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of the publicly held CBRL Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: CBRL). Cracker Barrel was established in 1969 in Lebanon, Tenn. Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc. operates 577 company-owned locations in 41 states. Every Cracker Barrel unit is open seven days a week with hours Sunday through Thursday, 6 a.m. – 10 p.m., and Friday and Saturday, 6 a.m. - 11 p.m. For more information, visit crackerbarrel.com.