Skip began playing the guitar ( on a $14.00 Sears & Roebuck flat-top acoustic that he borrowed from his cousin, Chuck ) around 1960, performing both lead and rhythm parts. Later, he acquired a Candy-Apple Red Gibson SG and after that, a Fender Jaguar. In 1966, he switched to Bass Guitar when he met the band that was to later become THE FLUID OUNCES when they needed a replacement bass player.  He bought a Candy Apple Red Fender Jazz Bass from Dunham's Music Store in Asheville, N.C. - which he still has.

He now primarily uses an ESP LTD C-305 5-String Bass in his on-stage performances, but has fourteen other different bass guitars at his disposal and which he plays. He also sang back-up vocal harmony with THE ELDERLY BROTHERS until they disbanded in early 2020 due to the COVID-19 PANDEMIC.

He has resumed doing Two-Man Shows with THOMAS AARON GARLOW, a musician friend of his for over 5 decades.  He has also been doing occasional "Stand In" shows with the OUTLAW WHISKEY BAND, a Southern Rock and Country band which has won several NACMAI awards.

Over the years, he has played bass with a number of other bands, including The Xenials, The Fluid Ounces, Tom & Skip, Litefoot, D.J. and The Family Jewels, TAZZ, Tequila Sunrise and The Bluestone Band, and worked briefly on the stage crew for Johnny Paycheck, Gatemouth Brown, Delbert McClinton and Mike Cross. He was with JOHNNY WEBB and The J.W. Band until 2003. He took a 4+ year hiatus from music up until he joined THE ELDERLY BROTHERS.

He has also played other "fill-in" stints with IMPACT and CROSSFIRE and shared multiple billings with The Bill Lyerly Band when he was with TEQUILA SUNRISE (he and Bill lived in the same town and were pals back in the 70's and 80's) - Bill has at least 6  albums to his credit and continues performing to this day.

In 1997 he sat in with "Big Al Carson and The Blues Masters" on Bourbon Street at The Funky Pirate while on a trip to New Orleans. It was this experience which led him to learn to play the 5-String Bass - which he now always uses on-stage because of the added Low-B string for extra bottom in the songs he plays.

In addition to performing on the J.W. Bands first two albums, Skip played bass on "He's Got You" & "Drip-Drop"; "Please Leave Us Alone" & "I Never Loved Anybody" with THE FLUID OUNCES, and laid down the bass lines for a Christmas album by "The WONDERTONES".

His music was first influenced by the Broadway Music that his mother played at home on their old 78 RPM record player when he was very young. Later, he recalls listening to Sunday morning Gospel music on the A.M. radio, paying particular attention to the bass lines, and in his pre-teen and early teen-age years went to sleep almost every night listening to "Randy's Record Mart" on WLAC out of Gallatin, Tennessee on his A.M. radio - although their history says it's out of Nashville.

Perhaps the pivotal point of his deciding to play a stringed instrument came when he was 5 years old. He was sick with the flu, and a friend of his Dad's named GAR MOSTELLER came and sat beside his bed, played the guitar and sang Skip to sleep. Gar is still around these parts somewhere - as far as we know, playing his fiddle (which he plays better than his guitar) - and if not, his legacy still lives on in his influence not only on Skip, but on many other mountain musicians ..... That experience inspired Skip to pick up a plastic Arthur Godfrey Ukelele that his father had brought home from his tour of service in the Navy. He pretty much self-taught himself from there.

When Skip first picked up the guitar, the music of Chet Atkins, Duane Eddy, and The Ventures caught his attention.  He has many favorite artists, including The Moody Blues, Carlos Santana, Leo Kottke, ZZ Top, B.B. King,  Norah Jones, The EAGLES and Jonny Lang (see Jonny Lang Biography) 

As to the kind of music that Skip prefers, he replies "Anything but Rap and Metallica!"