BIOGRAPHY
WGBH LIVE CONCERT
Michael, a.k.a. Skip McKinley, was born in Missouri in 1951 and, after moving to Indiana at age eight, began playing the sax. Needless to say there was not any Irish influence at this time. With ample encouragement from the parents he went on to win a lot of medals that were shaped like the state of Indiana and his high school jazz band cut a record with Doc Severinsen.
In 1976, Skip graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design with degrees in Architecture and Fine Arts.
Skip crept into the Boston music scene in 1977 after a fiddle player friend from Nashville gave him an unplayable flute. The older Irish flute players could be heard including Jimmy Hogan, Frank Neylon, and Gene Preston. Skip more or less taught himself to play. He became a part of Comhaltas and the infamous Village Coach House sessions which were hosted by Larry Reynolds and Seamus Connolly. A great number of fine musicians could regularly be found there including John Cunningham, The Lewis Family, Pat Sky, and Brendan Tonra. Skip played many festivals with Seamus.
Four years later, in 1981, Skip won both the solo and trio All-Ireland competitions in New York and competed in the 1981 Fleadh Cheoil in Listowel.
While single in Boston, Skip went on extended sojourns to Ireland where he developed friendships with several music families. He performed with the Lewis Family and Martin Hayes at the Festival Interceltic in L’Orient, France: and spent a good deal with the family of Padraic MacMathuna in Dublin. He was very much influenced by the local music traditions found in Clare and Galway.
Skip’s first solo album “The Executive Session” included well known traditional tunes, O’Carolan compositions and a Telemann fantasia. He was joined on the album by Seamus Connolly (fiddle) and Martin O’Malley (guitar) and Mance Grady (percussion), Lindsay Henes (keyboards and vocals), and Bill Crozier (mandocello).
Skip released his second solo CD “Fairytales” in summer 2009. This features some of his compositions. He is joined by Dave Mattacks on drums (ex-Fairport Convention), John McGann (guitar and bouzouki), Claudine Languille (guitar, mando) and Dave Payton (concertina).
Skip plays a 10 keyed granadilla wood flute made in London circa 1850 by James Pask and later improved by Ribas. He hosts a monthly session at the Harp and Hound Pub in Mystic, CT and plays with Joe Gerhard at the Anna Liffey Pub in New Haven.
Skip and Kathy, his lovely wife, have two daughters and currently live in Stonington, Ct.
