American country star Ricky Skaggs is "elated" after hearing he will receive an honorary doctorate from a top Boston, Massachusetts music college.

The Country Boy singer will be honored by Berklee College of Music on Tuesday during a performance at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee - putting the 53-year-old in the company of luminaries such as Duke Ellington, Sting, B.B. King, Dizzy Gillespie, Loretta Lynn and Paul Simon.

He says, "I was elated. It’s a really, really amazing honor because many great musicians have come out of Berklee."