FRANKLIN —  Two musical icons — Ricky Skaggs and Larry Gatlin & the Gatlin Brothers Band — will be performing in separate shows on consecutive nights as special guests of The Isaacs in early July at the Smoky Mountain Center for Performing Arts.

Skaggs will perform with The Isaacs at 7 p.m. July 6, while the Gatlin Brothers will take the stage with The Isaacs at 7 p.m. July 7.

The Isaacs, a multi-award-winning gamily group, feature a style that blends tight, family harmony with contemporary musical instrumentation that appeals to a variety of audiences. The group performs frequently at the Grand Old Opry.

Skaggs, a 15-time Grammy Award winner, will be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame this fall.

For his Franklin show with The Isaacs, Skaggs told the Daily Planet in a telephone interview on June 27 that “I’ll have some new songs and instrumentals — and a whole new band since I’ve been to Franklin” the last time. He also praised The Isaacs, noting that he himself is a top fan of the group.

Regarding his upcoming induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame, he said, “It’s still kind of hard to believe."

Skaggs added, “I’m letting it soak in and enjoying it... At (age) 63, I feel I have lots of years to play still ... For a country music artist, that is the zenith — this career plaque. It’s a very reputed and high honor.”

Regarding bluegrass music today, he said, “What I like in bluegrass, in general, is there are still young kids out there who still want to learn the old stuff. I’m thankful for their heart and desire.

“As for country music, I think they respect us. We get respect from the young guys. But I don’t hear them singing the music from the past. They’re kind of just playing today’s music and going with the flow.”

However, Skaggs did single out country music performer Chris Singleton as someone who “is not going with the flow because he is so different” from the others.

Skaggs, billed as a pioneer of bluegrass and country music, has been playing music for more than 50 years. 

He recorded 12 No. 1 hit singles in his career and already has been indicted into the Musicians Hall of Fame and the GMA Gospel Music Hall of Fame.

He has his own record label, Skaggs Family Records, and the Grand Old Opry has released his autobiography, “Kentucky Traveler.”

As for his career as a musician, he said, “I think this was chosen for me for the conditions of the world. I can’t imagine doing anything different.”

As for Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin Brothers Band, band member Rudy Gatlin quipped in a separate phone interview with the Daily Planet on June 27 that, for the show in Franklin, “We’re going to do a bunch of hits — and even throw in a few misses” to keep the fans on their toes.

More seriously, Gatlin said, “I’m just looking forward to singing” any of their 40 top 10 songs.

More than 50 years ago, Larry, Steve and Rudy Gatlin started singing in their little hometown of Abilene, Texas, and, as the SMCPA noted in a press release, “went on to make music history.”

A unifying musical element of the Gatlin Brothers is the purity of the family harmony.

“Gatlin harmonies spin with high and light precision and their music bleeds and screams of love and a lot of living,” according to Country Capsule.

In his interview with the Daily Planet, Rudy Gatlin answered questions about the group’s newest album, “The Gospel According to Gatlin,” noting that it is “edgy” and “somewhat different” from their previous albums.

For instance, he noted that the new album asked questions about “What would Jesus do?” on certain social issues.

Regarding the album, Larry Gatlin said in an interview elsewhere, “Steve, Rudy and I didn’t get where we are by playing it safe. We have always pushed the envelope. We have always crossed borders others were afraid to cross and we’re not going to stop now... and that’s ‘The Gospel According to Gatlin.’”

Regarding the contemporary country and gospel scenes, Rudy Gatlin told the Daily Planet, “There are a lot of fine artists out there,” but “the songs aren’t what they used to be.”

He joked that the first rap song was country musician Charlie Daniels’ “The Devil Went Down to Georgia,” which was released in 1979 in Jacksonville, Fla.

Forthcoming Gatlin Brothers’ projects include a Gaither music collaboration that also will include The Oak Ridge Boys.