Pops was my mentor, my friend, and like a second father to me. Many years ago, he told me that if I wanted to be a better singer, I should listen to more horn players. He gave me my first Sonny Rollins record and my first Shirley Horn record. He was a musical force of … Read more
Proving that musical diversity is alive and well in the Carolinas, musicians like legendary saxophonist Skipp ‘Pops’ Pearson and trumpeter Mark Rapp are working to boost a burgeoning jazz scene in Columbia, S.C. Pearson, a Palmetto state native whose career spans more than 50 years collaborating with musical greats like Otis Redding, Wynton Marsalis and … Read more
Seven years ago, local saxophone legend Skipp Pearson did an interview for NPRs Tell Me More. Near the end” after Pearson talked about touring as a black man during the time of Jim Crow, about working with Sam Cooke, Otis Redding and Wynton Marsalis ” the host asked her guest what he would like his … Read more