About the Band

Soulshine is a three to six piece band in the Gulf Coast area. We play a variety of musical styles and genre to appeal to any type of event and crowd. We perform at local restaurants, receptions, conventions, mardi gras balls, community events, and more. We are currently working to update our website with samples of our performances. Check out our calendar and come by to see us some time.

Vickie Bailey - Vocalist 

Vickie is a native of South Alabama, has been in the entertainment industry for over 20 years right here on the Gulf Coast. She is the lead vocalist for Soulshine Band with a powerful and soulful voice. She is also the owner of Bailey's Entertainment. She has the privilege of working with the best local professionals in the entertainment business including the gentlemen in this band.

Donnie Skidmore - Acoustic Guitar

Donnie Skidmore plays guitar and sings with Soulshine. He has over 40 years of experiences playing live music, with many different artists such as Percy Sledge, Duane Allman & the Allman Bros., Jimmy Hall, and Z Z Top, to name but a few. And now he loves the music and chemistry of Soulshine, with it's wide variety of songs. Donnie's favorite style of music is anything with the "slide" guitar. It is his Mojo, and he never gets tired of it. Of course, he knows that people always want to dance, so he loves to sing the Hits that pack the dance floor. He says it this way,"Music is my life, and I love just about every bit of it".   

Jo Morris - Bass

Call it a double bass, string bass, upright bass, or just bass but when it's in the hands of Jo Morris, you can definitely call it smooth and soulful. 

Jo Morris is an extremely talented and experienced Gulf Coast musician who has performed with many local bands over the years. He has also been invited to take the stage with several big name bands and shows. He has toured Japan with James Brown band as well as opened shows and jazz festivals--- for example, Spyra Gyra, Rippingtons, Lou Rawls and many more.

Jo is a man of few words. Simple and modest type of guy and this is all we could get out of him for his bio. However, we've heard him play and, trust us when we say, he's amazing.

Kent Karcher - Saxophone 

Kent Karcher is originally from New Orleans and studied music theory and composition at Louisiana State University New Orleans and played sax in the UNO Jazz Ensembles with Cranston Clements, Lon Price, Rick Montalto, Clay Hemphill, Angelle Trosclair, Laverne Butler and Mike Vax. Kent studied under sax professor Lon Price (Al Jurreau, Billy Vera, Joan Armatrading,) and he also studied privately with Ward Smith (Wayne Cochran, the Band and Luther Kent & Trick Bag).

Kent was a charter member of the horn band Rumboogie along with Dave Ferrato, Kirk Steen and trombonist Mark Mullins (Harry Connick Jr.,Mule Bone, Bonerama). He moved to Mobile in the late 80s and started arranging and from 1988 thru 2008 operated the Legendary Hurricane Horn Section - a wall of sound 3 piece horn section with the Clear Vision Band featuring Britt Meacham (Bob Seger, Little Milton, the Beat Daddys). In the early 90s he teamed the horn section with the New Orleans Levee Band featuring Jimmy Pollard and Steve Woodham from Freddie Fender’s band and Bourbon Street mainstays Greg Villafranco, Janet Lynn and Dave Watson (Jack Mack). The horn section was hired by Wet Willie after opening for the Neville Brothers at Bayfest in Mobile, Alabama in 1997. The section still plays shows and reunion gigs with Jimmy Hall and Wet Willie as recently as New Years Eve 2012 and the sinking of the reef ship S.S. LuLu in May 2013.