Hi everyone. Welcome to my new web site! It has been a very busy couple of years so here are some highlights:
I produced and played on Lurrie Bell’s award winning CD Let’s Talk about Love. We will have a link on this site to all the rave reviews and awards this release received. I am currently producing another Lurrie Bell CD for Aria B.G. Records.
Also…Chicago Blues A Living History been nominated for a Grammy!! You see I collaborated with my brother Larry Skoller (producer and guitarist extraordinaire) on the now Grammy nominated, historical project, Chicago Blues A Living History. I lent my production experience, knowledge of Chicago Blues history and my harmonica to this project that is now being hailed by critics as one of the greatest Chicago Blues events of our time. I am deeply gratified to be part of a project of this magnitude. The project features Billy Boy Arnold, Billy Branch, Lurrie Bell and John Primer. An all star band: Billy Flynn, Matthew Skoller, Kenny Smith, Felton Crews and Johnny Iguana, with cameos by Carlos Johnson and Michael Avery. In July we played 16 festivals in 7 European countries together – what a tour!! Highlights to be posted soon.
If you’re wondering why there are not a lot of recent gigs, I just underwent vocal fold surgery and I have had to keep my big mouth shut for a few weeks. But it was very successful and I should be better than new by the 1st of the year 2010.
I was featured with Johnny Iguana on a segment of Samantha Brown’s Passport to Great Cities TV show on The Travel Channel.
The Matthew Skoller band headlined Buddy Guy’s CD release party at Buddy Guy’s club and hosted a jam that night with Buddy Guy, Jimmie Vaughan and the pre-pubescent guitarist Quinn Sullivan.
I recorded a segment of Speakin’ of The Blues at the Harold Washington Library with an interview with Christopher Popa. This television program airs on local cable channels.
In 2008 we returned to Rabat, Morocco to play The Mawazine Festival for the second time! The other American acts were George Benson, Al DiMeola and Whitney Houston. We were in great company!!
The last 3 years has also seen the birth of Family Tradition Cognac. This is a company formed by my brother Larry Skoller, his wife, Nadege, and me. We have organized several families who make estate bottled, artisan cognac. As many of you know, Larry is a great guitarist who played in my band up to the second time we played The Blues Passions Festival in Cognac, France. He stayed there, married Nadege, made me a niece (Julia) and we formed this enterprise. Our cognac is available in Illinois through Fine Vines in Melrose Park (importer/distributor) and Michael Skurnik Wines imports and distributes it in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. Here is a link to our web site: www.familytraditioncognac.com