Biography
James Richard Skidmore entered the world on 8 February 1916 in London, England, and departed on 22 April 1998 in Welwyn, Hertfordshire, England. At age 20 he mastered the tenor saxophone through solitary practice, then performed with Harry Parry, George Shearing and further musicians, reaching peak activity in the immediate postwar years. Recognition followed his tenure with the Vic Lewis Jazzmen, and throughout the 1950s he worked with Kenny Baker and Humphrey Lyttelton, occupying a place in the latter’s non-traditionalist saxophone section next to Tony Coe and Joe Temperley. Club dates continued through the 1960s and 1970s, yet at steadily reduced frequency. Evolving musical fashions and his own relaxed stance toward his craft blocked the wider success his abilities warranted. From the mid-1960s onward, greater public attention instead accrued to his son Alan Skidmore. By the mid-1980s he was again appearing in the London area and treating jazz with renewed seriousness, an attitude underscored when he marked his 80th birthday with a shared performance alongside his son.