Skip Martin, the Grammy-winning voice behind the Dazz Band's “Let It Whip” and a two-decade frontman for Kool & the Gang, is bringing his four-decade music career to an intimate Las Vegas stage on September 25. The show, titled “A Boy Named Skip,” lands at Myron's inside The Smith Center at 7 p.m., with tickets ranging from $44.90 to $73.60.
Martin discussed the upcoming performance, his 2025 album “Tom's Diner,” and his years with Kool & the Gang and the Dazz Band in an interview with FOX5 Vegas. The station reports that Martin has amassed more than 60 recordings, six consecutive top 100 albums, two top 100 singles, and both platinum and gold records over a career spanning more than four decades. He has also won an R&B Song of the Year award and holds two Emmy Awards, according to the same report.
Myron's itself is part of the draw. The cabaret-style room inside The Smith Center's Symphony Park campus seats only between 240 and 258 patrons, a scale worlds away from the arenas Martin once filled, according to Concerts.Vegas. That intimacy is central to the appeal of “A Boy Named Skip,” which pairs musical performance with autobiographical storytelling drawn from his career.
A Grammy Rooted in a Chart-Topping Funk Anthem
Martin's Grammy dates back to 1983, when he won Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals as lead vocalist and trumpeter on the Dazz Band's 1982 single “Let It Whip,” per a video shared on Facebook. The track spent five weeks at number one on the Billboard R&B chart. Its reach extended well beyond the 1980s, having been sampled in Justin Timberlake's 2003 “Cry Me a River” remix and featured on soundtracks for “Pitch Perfect” and “Next Friday,” as noted in an Apple Podcasts episode.
After his run with the Dazz Band, Martin spent 20 years, from 1987 through 2007, as lead vocalist and trumpeter for Kool & the Gang, according to his talent roster listing with First Class Entertainment. During those two decades he recorded seven albums and toured internationally with the group, cementing the résumé that FOX5 Vegas describes as making music history with both bands.
From Monterey Jazz Festival to a Vegas Homecoming
Martin's musical foundation goes back to his teenage years. Born in San Francisco in 1957, he developed his trumpet skills early and won the Outstanding Trumpet Soloist award at the Monterey Jazz Festival while still in high school, according to his Wikipedia entry. He later released his debut solo jazz album, “Miles High,” featuring prominent jazz fusion artists.
Martin has called Las Vegas home since 1992, marking more than 34 years of residency in the local community as of this year, according to a video posted to Facebook. He is described as a long-standing Southern Nevada resident who frequently performs at local benefit shows and cabaret dates across the valley, making the Myron's booking as much a homecoming as a headline gig.
A 2025 Album Built Around a Jazz Standard
Martin's most recent studio project, “Tom's Diner,” arrived on his birthday, June 25, 2025. The smooth jazz record centers on an instrumental interpretation of Suzanne Vega's classic song and features guitar work by Marlon McClain along with contributions from Spyro Gyra's Tom Schuman and the late bassist Wayman Tisdale, per openPR.
Martin's television Emmy came from humanitarian work rather than a commercial release. In June 2023, he was awarded a regional Emmy for Outstanding Musical Composition/Arrangement for directing the “Legends Unite for St. Jude” initiative, which brought together 29 recording artists to remake Curtis Mayfield's “People Get Ready,” according to PRLog. Participating artists on that project included Stevie Wonder, Taylor Dayne, and Ray Parker Jr., raising funds for families affected by COVID-19.
That same year, in May 2023, Martin received the U.S. Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his civic engagement and philanthropic work, an honor reserved for individuals who dedicate substantial volunteer service to improving their communities, per openPR.
What to Expect at Myron's
“A Boy Named Skip” blends musical performances with the stories behind them, drawing on a career that has moved from teenage jazz competitions to funk chart-toppers to intimate cabaret storytelling. Myron's small footprint means the September 25 show offers a rare close-up view of an artist who spent much of his career on much larger stages. Tickets are available through The Smith Center's website.
The booking also continues a run of R&B-focused programming at the venue, following Hoodline's earlier coverage of the Juneteenth R&B lineup at Symphony Park and its look at the cabaret room's own two-decade history through the Composers Showcase.
