Mike Skory - Hammond organ, keys, & vocals
“When he enters, Mike always lights up a room!” “Mike Skory is probably the most easy going person I’ve ever met; when it comes to music, it’s obvious there’s nothing he’d rather be doing than playing in front of a crowd.” We could not agree more with the words and praise of Mike Skory’s friends and colleagues. His presence and energy to and from the crowd the day of the Blues Brawl was something special to behold, and darned if he didn’t beat out 6 bands and a duo to take second place! It just seemed like the right thing to do at the last CABS Board Meeting to declare him our first-ever Solo Winner and send him to Memphis in January 2010.
Mike Skory is a Lansing area businessman who has also been a professional piano player for 35 years, according to his Blues Brawl biography. He plays all over town and plays all kinds of music, so many folks might not have thought of him as a bluesman until they saw his performance in the competition. Skory was taken by the boogie-woogie bug early on, “mesmerized by Albert Ammons, Little Brother Montgomery, Memphis Slim, and Pete Johnson.” The first two albums he “ever bought were ‘Meet the Beatles’ and ‘The Natural & Soulful Blues’ by Champion Jack Dupree,” and still owns the Dupree vinyl.
We are proud and thrilled to have him represent us as our International Blues Challenge Solo Act. You can see Mike every Thursday at the Exchange in downtown lansing with his Swampnight revue. If you’ve never been then you are missing a musical reality show like no other in town! Mike will be on board the Michigan Princess July 31 for the Blues Cruise, the Old Town Blues Festival September 19 and all kinds of dates in between.
Cathy Dionise, Jazz & BluesFest Volunteer coordinator, has know Mike Skory “since they were kids,” and sums up the man and his music this way: “He has been my idol ever since I first heard him play! Mike’s love for music comes through every time he gets on stage. He can have you jumpin’ in your seat when he belts out some Ray Charles or he can leave a tear in your eye with a Motown song. You can always “feel” the music the way he does when he plays.” Right on, Cathy!
