Skip Kurtz
Entertaining Career
1940-1980

Background

 

   My father was an entertainer. He once toured the eleven western states with "The Reno Racketeers". At the age of 3, I was made the closing act of the show (who can follow a kid?). On cue, I would enter stage right, dressed in denim pants, satin shirt, satin neckerchief, cowboy hat, cowboy boots and raccoon fur chaps, with a Martin "Tipple" (kind
of a mandolin/ukelele) hanging from my neck, dragging a chair to stand on to reach the microphone. Dad would put his foot on the chair and accompany me by singing harmony and playing his guitar. Don't recall how good I was, but I do recall the standing ovations... except for one place, an Indian reservation near Missoula, MT. When I finished my song, everyone just got up and walked out the door without saying  a word. Take it from me, there truly is no business like Show Business!!

Skip

 

The Skip Kurtz Show
Featured Back-up Bands

"The Capricios", "The Goodfortune", "Big Bear & Company", "Warpath!", "The New Pioneers", "The Snake River Band", "The Longriders", "The Nashville Edition", "The Tennessee Freeborn".

Warm up for, Shared Billing, Stage or Television appearances with

Johnny Cash, Marty Robbins, Roger Miller, Hank Thompson, Ernest Tubb, Eddy Arnold, Ray Price, Carl Smith, Billy Walker, Hank Snow, Faron Young, Buck Owens, Johnny Paycheck, Merle Travis, Jimmy Wakely, Cowboy Copas, Lonzo & Oscar, Hawkshaw Hawkins, Webb Pierce, Homer & Jethro, Ferlin Husky, The Reno Racketeers, Henson Cargill, Dottie West, June Johnson, Roy Rogers, Pat Brady, The Sons Of The Pioneers, Foy Willing and The Riders Of The Purple Sage, The Sons Of The Golden West, Deane Kurtz and The Sunset Serenaders, Bonnie Nelson, "Little" Jimmy Dickens, Hoagy Carmichael, Eddie Peabody, Kay Starr, Red Buttons, The Goofers, Cab Calloway, The Ames Brothers, The Mills Brothers, Bill Haley and The Comets, Achilles and Frank, The Treniers, The Four Aces, The Crew Cuts, The Taylors, The Penguins, The Gaylords, Elena Verdugo, The Glenn Miller Orchestra, Jack E. Leonard, The Kirby Stone Four, The Novelites, Tokay Iseley.

Special Appearances

National Western Stock Show, Denver, CO, Cheyenne Frontier Days, Cheyenne, WY, Red Bluff Roundup, Red Bluff, CA, The "Original Rodeo", Deertrail, CO, Tri-City Concert, Albany, NY, Apple Festival, Wenatchee, WA, Miss Colorado Universe Contest, Denver, CO, Miss America Marilyn van der Bur State Tour (CO), The Heart Telethon, Las Vegas, NV, The Crippled Children's Telethon, Denver, CO, "The Grand Old Opry", Nashville, TN, California State Fair, Sacramento, CA.

Major Resort Areas

Las Vegas, NV, Reno, NV, Lake Tahoe, NV, Wildwood, NJ, Atlantic City, NJ, Hot Springs, AR, Acapulco, Puerto Villarta, Vera Cruz (Mexico), Banf, Jasper (Canada), Jackson Hole, Telluride, Catskills, Poconos, Colorado Springs, CO, Steamboat Springs, CO, Vail, CO, Scottsdale, AZ, etc.

Lounges

The Fremont Hotel, Las Vegas, NV, The Mint Hotel, Las Vegas, NV, The Golden Nugget, Las Vegas, NV, The Stardust Hotel, Las Vegas, NV, The Sahara Hotel, Las Vegas, NV, The Hacienda Hotel, Las Vegas, NV, The Sands Hotel, Las Vegas, NV, The Dunes Hotel, Las Vegas, NV, The Bonanza Hotel, Las Vegas, NV, The Thunderbird Hotel, Las Vegas, NV, The Mapes Hotel, Reno, NV, Harold's Club, Reno, NV, The Crystal Bay Club, Lake Tahoe, NV, Harvey's, Lake Tahoe, NV.

Recordings

"Cherry Pie"/"It Was I" (Sunnydale), "Epitaph"/"Sally" (Bandbox), "I Found A New Love"/ "Tink" (Inn-Timate), "One Way Street"/"Plains Of Colorado" (Blue Sky), "The Bell And The Gun"/"Callin' Of The Wild" (Blue Sky), "Little Lonely One" (Blue Sky), "Stand Up Tall"/"Lullabye", (Blue Sky)

Commercials and Jingles

Bonnie Dog Food, Dr. Ross Dog Food, Gas-O-Mat, Nixon Feeds, Chevrolet Blazer, Heritage Square, Westland Bank, Lazy H Ranch House Recording Studio Background Founder, Denver Recording, Inc. (24, 16, 8, 4, 2 track audio studios, cassette duplication).

Motion Pictures

Arranged/performed theme "Little Lonely One" for the motion picture "Birth Of A Legend" American International Pictures (marketed worldwide, twice NBC "Movie of the Week") Charles Sellier, Jr., Director (Grizzly Adams).

Wrote/performed title theme "Stand Up Tall" and drama theme "Lullabye" for scrapped movie project "Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee" Marlon Brando, producer

Been there, done that...Some Nightclubs and Saloons

Marina Hotel, San Francisco Int'l Airport, CA, Anaheim Bowl, CA, King's Row, Torrance, CA, Frenchy's, Hayward, CA, Brass Rail, North Hollywood, CA, Stouffer's Denver Inn, Denver, CO, Hilton Hotel, Denver, CO, Inn-timate Lounge, Aurora, CO, Southmoor Inn, Denver, CO, Casey's Palace, Denver, CO, The Mint, Denver, CO, Zanzabar, Denver, CO, Casual Lounge, Denver, CO, Ramada Inn, Lakewood, CO, Taylors, Denver, CO, Golden Earring, Denver, CO, Four Seasons, Aurora, CO, Antlers Hotel, Colorado Springs, CO, The Broadmoor, Colorado Springs, CO, The Embers, Colorado Springs, CO, Hitchin' Post, Cheyenne, WY, The Reef, Casper, WY, Park Hotel, Rock Springs, WY, Triangle Lounge, Kemerer, WY, The Flame, Laramie, WY, Holiday Inn, El Paso, TX, Dallas Cork Club, Dallas, TX, Billy The Kid Saloon, Las Cruces, NM , Sundowner Motel, Albuquerque, NM, Caravan West, Albuquerque, NM, Four Seasons, Albuquerque, NM, Steamboat Village Inn, Steamboat Springs, CO, Lion's Head, Vail, CO, The Vapors, Hot Springs, AR, Trail Dust, Denver, CO, Trail Dust, Colorado Springs, CO, Rancho Deluxe, Craig, CO, Country Mansion, Wildwood, NJ, P.J.'s, Scottsdale, AZ, Brown Derby, Toronto, Ont., Ambassador Motor Inn, Sudbury, Ont., House of Kwon, North Battleford, Sask., North Star, Hay River, NWT, Athabaska Hotel, Jasper, Alta., Homesteader, High Prairie, Alta. Park Hotel, Grande Prairie, Alta, Costa's Supper Club, Mason City, IA, Speelmon's Steak House, Cherokee, IA,Village Pump, Jacksonville, IL, Ramada Inn, Jefferson City, MO, Esquire Lounge, Rapid City, SD, Plains Motel, Huron, SD, Wort Motor Motel, Jackson Hole, WY, The Dunes, Riverside, CA, Venetian Inn, St. Paul, MN, Mr. Lucky's, Denver, CO, Sunset Lanes, Kalamazoo, MI, Metro Bowl, Lansing, MI, Orbit Lounge, Saginaw, MI, Roostertail, Detroit, MI, Shark Inn, Pensacola, FL, Black Poodle, Nashville, TN, The Embers, Nashville, TN, Red Vest Lounge, Evansville, IN, The Virginian Club, Shaker Heights, OH.

Wannabe Actor

extra little tiny bitty parts "Lawman", "Colt .45", "The Rebel", "Gunsmoke", "Cimarron City", "Tombstone Territory" ,

Fast and Fancy Gun Coach

Free lance Instructor Tutored by Arvo Ojala, Rodd Redwing fast draw, fancy gun handling coached stars and wannabe stars dubbed fast draw sequences Incorporated gun handling techniques into musical/comedy stage show appearances.

Literary Efforts

Published and Publishers Poetry: Baccalaude, Black Powder Times Articles: Saga, Argosy Songwriting: Sing Me Music, Inc.

"Pop 'N Me", or "Tales of the Duncan Ranch" (final editing) (Short stories of Skip's "in between engagements", times of youth with his trapper/farmer grandfather)

"Rode Hard and Put Away Wet", or "How Not To Be An Inventor!", (final editing) (Skip's trials and tribulations as an inventor) the chronicled true story behind "Golden Powder", "Legend Powder", "Long Rifle Powder", "Clean Shot Powder" and "Clear Shot Powder"

"Handbook of Red Neck Politics", completed manuscript (A retired guitar pickin' farm hand's view of the nation's political dilemmas)

"Qwest!", 2 hr. stage presentation (in process) (From Plymouth Rock to the shores of California in two hours or less!)

"Pop 'N Me", Teleseries (in process) (Rustic memories of a young boy's country life during World War II), Inventor, Designer

Areas of Interest

Propellants
Solid fuels
Liquid fuels
Consumable solid charges
Combustible cartridge casings
Military small arms
Commercial small arms
Replica antique small arms
Medium bore automatic cannon
Large bore select fire artillery
Magazine fed rocket launcher
Non-toxic foam insulation
No fuel energy sources
Natural resource energy sources
Flora/fauna conservation
Fishing accessories
Sporting goods