Dr. Lynn J. “Doc” Skinner, Founder of Lionel Hampton Jazz, University of Idaho, was born in Nounan Idaho in 1940. Doc started taking piano lessons at age 4. He had to ride his tricycle uphill both ways on a gravel road to get his lessons. In 1958, Doc started the Lynn J. Skinner Jazz Quintet. In 1962 he started the first jazz band in the public schools in the state of Idaho. In 1966 he earned a Master of Music Performance on seven instruments. In 1970, Doc finished his Doctorate in Music Education and Music Theory. In 1971 he was hired as the Director of Music Education at the University of Idaho. Dr. Lynn Skinner has been honored with the Presidential Medal of Arts for his remarkable contribution to founding the Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival, hosted on the campus of the University of Idaho in Moscow, Idaho, with over 400 student performances and an ever-expanding reach. “Doc” Skinner has also received the Governor’s Award from the State of Idaho.

The International Hall of Fame is proud to present The Dr. Lynn Skinner International Music Program.

Dr. Skinner’s Music Program is drawn upon decades of performance, teaching, and continually refining and redefining what means to share Jazz with the world.