Since moving to Chicago in 1987, Skoller has risen to harpist fame quickly. He started backing Jimmy Rogers, Big Time Sarah and Dietra Farr before J. W. Williams recruited him into the Chi-Town Hustlers. From there he branched out into stints with The Kinsey Report all over Canada and Europe. And by the mid-'90s, he and his new band–featuring Larry Skoller (his brother), Lurrie Bell, Sid Wingfield, Vamp Samuels and Kenny Smith–were being profiled by Tom Brokaw at B.L.U.E.S. during the Democratic convention.
Wearing idols Sonny Boy Williamson and Little Walter on his sleeve, Skoller belongs to the city's new class of A-list bluesman, drawing throaty Allman Brothers soul in between back-alley harp wails, making pulls of whiskey smoother come chorus time.
His debut, Bone To Pick With You, came in '96, followed by '99s show of lyrical prowess, Shoulder to the Wind. 2003's Taproot saw the artist's last self-promoted release before '05s breakout disc, These Kind Of Blues!, came via the Tongue And Groove imprint. Chip O'Brien of Blues Review dubbed it a "Touch of class and social conscience too often absent from a genre that often relies on references to a long-gone past."
Skoller and his band just finished an eight-year Sunday residency at the House of Blues, but they're still touring and promoting These Kind of Blues! all over the city. (Gavin Paul)
For more information, visit their website: http://www.matthewskoller.com
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