Personal Icons
These are the performers that have helped to shape Spencer as an Artist.
Gordon Crawford
Gordon L. Crawford is one of the country's finest vocal and performance educators. It was through this man that Skip first got the courage to get on a stage. With his years of performing and coaching experience, Mr. Crawford was able to find a voice inside young Spencer and nourish it.
Sophie and Skip rang in the 2024 New Year by seeing Mr. Crawford perform with his band, All That, on New Years Eve. The next day, they payed a visit to his home where spontaneously he taught them "Leavin's Not the Only Way to Go"
from Big River.
Trina Jackson
Trina Collins Jackson, Skip's life-long mentor, was the first person he ever received formal dance training from. Her deep Classical Jazz roots from years of studying alongside legendary jazz instructor and choreographer, Luigi, is what most influences Skip's dance style. Miss Trina continues to leave a huge impact on him to this day as he often is humbly called upon to assist her when she teaches at Broadway Dance Center in NYC.
"I've always felt a strong connection to the Jackson family. Miss Trina took a chance on me even after her daughter Morgan protested my entry into their dance troupe. Ironically, Morgan Jackson is the one who helped refine my technique, caught the bouquet at my wedding, and proceeded to give me my first dance teaching job in NYC at Dance Workshop on 64th street in Manhattan."
"Collin, the Jackson's eldest son, was practically my first voice teacher and we studied together at the Chicago College of Performing Arts. Inadvertently, Collin was the best at getting me out of trouble. He was the Best Man at my wedding."
"Joel is my oldest and best friend. We were thick as thieves before we even knew who we were. Joel's friendship is the biggest reason I continued my performance education. His talent and comfortability on stage is what I was striving for and tried to emulate. But there is only one Joel Jackson and only he can do what he does best."
"Aiden, the Jackson's youngest, has music taste beyond his years that we heavily bond over and has he always felt like a little brother. Joel and I would coax him into participating whenever we needed supporting characters in our creative endeavors as children."
"Greg Jackson is someone who always understood me and my circumstances growing up. At our core, we are both song and dance men. I hope to maintain my youthful energy as he has. The man is still hitting double pirouettes in his 60's. He continues to keep that classic Broadway spirit alive."
"This family has been there for me through every major life event since our introduction in 2011. I am forever grateful to be apart of their lives.
To know them is to know me."
Dick Van Dyke
Growing up watching the Dick Van Dyke Show with his Grandmother, Skip found himself retaining what he saw. Dick Van Dyke has a type contagious charisma that Skip admires most in a performer. Being one of the original song and dance men of the Golden Age, Van Dyke captivates audiences in ways that Skip has become very familiar with after 20+ years of studying and observation.
Michael Jackson
From Michael's perspective, you can't have music without dancing; You can't have dancing without emotion; You can't have emotion without the story; You can't have the story without music.
The combination of music, movement, and story telling has never been done more effortlessly.
Bobby Darin
By the time he was 24, Walden Robert Cassotto set the all-time attendance record at the Copacabana nightclub in Manhattan, which he recorded live in October, 1960. On this record you can hear the charm that he possesses, as he interacts with members of the audience during his set, which he was known for doing. Growing up listening to his quick whit and expert timing, infused with enough energy and charisma to kill a dinosaur, it's easy to see where Skip finds his taste in music.
Frankie Valli
Having seen him perform live on multiple occasions, Skip has found benediction in the voice of this Rock and Roll Legend. Most recently, Skip saw Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons live at the Auditorium Theatre in Chicago and as he was watching the 85 year old veteran of the stage, he was comforted in knowing that it is possible to keep doing what you love forever, if you love it enough.
While working as a singing waiter on the Jersey Shore, Skip found himself in the company of one of the best female vocalists in the business today. Sophie Mings is a soprano powerhouse, who most recently co-starred alongside Broadway vets such as Sierra Boggess, Emily Skinner, and Mary-Beth Piel in the Barrington Stage Company's production of A Little Night Music . They married in June, 2022. Skip feels immensely lucky to be married to a star with talent of mythological proportions.
