Peterborough native and Grammy award-winning record producer and musician Greg Wells has launched The Don Skuce Memorial Music Collective in support of Peterborough-area musicians.
The initiative is named in honour of Well’s friend, the late musician and guitar luthier Don Skuce who was the former owner of Ed’s Music Workshop. Skuce passed away on June 10, 2018 at the age of 66 after a long battle with an incurable cancer.
“The Don Skuce Memorial Music Collective will support local Peterborough musicians and songwriters by funding the recording of one song at producer James McKenty’s Peterborough recording studio,” according to an announcement on Wells’ Instagram on Sunday (October 18).
Musicians, either solo singers or bands, can submit up to three simple song demos for consideration. A board of adjudicators comprising established Peterborough musicians led by Peterborough musician and songwriter John Crown will review the submissions, choose the song to be recorded, and determine the recording budget and all recording costs including additional hired musicians if needed. Wells will mix and master the finished recording in Los Angeles.
“There are no strings attached, no cost of any kind to the applicant, and all original ownership of the songwriting and the master recording will belong to the winning applicant,” the announcement states.
Three winners will be selected every year (one every four months), with the first winner to be announced in February 2021. Application proposals, including song demos, can be emailed to donskucemmc@gmail.com.
“Don Skuce had a wise, warm, and generous spirit who loved to support local musicians in their journey,” the announcement reads. “Don’s deep love of music creation will live on through the work of this Collective, and will support and document the musical output of the great city of Peterborough.”
Wells, who grew up in Peterborough, is a record producer, songwriter, musician, and audio engineer with songs on over 130 million albums sold, and streaming numbers in billions.
He has produced and written with John Legend, Adele, Rufus Wainwright, Carrie Underwood, Taylor Swift, Pharrell Williams, Keith Urban, Katy Perry, Ariana Grande, Weezer, Aerosmith, Celine Dion, Quincy Jones, Elton John, Burt Bacharach, Andrew Lloyd Webber, the Count Basie Orchestra, and many more.
Wells has received three Grammy nominations, winning one in 2018 for best compilation soundtrack for visual media for the 2017 film The Greatest Showman starring Hugh Jackman and Zac Efron.
