About Skookum Chuck

Hi there! I’m glad you found me!

Drag up a chair, come sit by the fire, and I’ll tell you a tale…

I first started playing guitar in 1974, ad the age of fourteen. I grew up in the backwoods of South Carolina, on my grandfather’s farm. I come from a musical family. My earliest memories were of sitting on the porch listening to all my musical family members jam in the early evening after supper.

In 1974, I got a guitar for my birthday, and my uncle taught me my first few chords. I instantly fell in love with the instrument, and I’ve been playing ever since. In the mid-1970s I started writing my own songs and playing in high school bands. You can subscribe to my blog for some of my tales from the road!

At the age of 65, I decided that I should get around to actually recording all of these songs I’ve been writing over the years. Not that I’m a procrastinator…it’s just that this thing called “life” got in the way, as it does from time to time. I figure that I don’t have a lot of time left, and if I don’t do it soon, it won’t get done. So with that in mind, I started work on my album called “12:15 Blues.” It’ll be released in early 2026, so check back here for further details, or subscribe!

Why Skookum Chuck?

People ask how I got the name “Skookum Chuck.”

My name is Chuck Hall. I released an album called Gentle Wind a few years back under my real name, only to discover that there was a blues band called Chuck Hall and the Brick Wall. Hall had played in the Dallas scene during the 70s and early 80s. If you’re into blues, their music is still available.

Of course, after releasing my Gentle Wind album, I soon discovered that my solo album was getting included in HIS discography, so I decided on a name change, to keep from getting us and our fans confused.

At first I thought about using my middle name, and going by Bruce Hall, until I found out that the bass player for REO Speedwagon was also Bruce Hall.

I was stumped for a while, then my wife and I moved to Washington State. My daughter and her husband also moved here, and bought a home near the Skookumchuck River outside of Olympia, Washington. That name sounded perfect. After doing a little research, I found out that the name “Skookumchuck” comes from Chinook Jargon, a trade language historically used in the Pacific Northwest. It’s a compound of two words:

• Skookum = strong, powerful, or impressive
• Chuck = water

So “skookumchuck” literally means “strong water.” It usually refers to rapids, tidal currents, or strong-flowing water—places where the current is especially powerful. As an old River Rat myself, I found that the name was perfect. A little more research, and I found out that a “skookum” was also an 18th century street party or festival. Since most of my music was written sitting by the fire on a river, and most of my musical performances have been at street parties and festivals, I was sold on my new name, and I became “Skookum Chuck.”

About Skookum Chuck’s Music

Although I played in a lot of heavy metal bands in the 1970s, I was always drawn to folk rock and Americana. My early musical influences included Neil Young, John Prine, Dan Fogelberg, and Bob Seger. If you’re a fan of any of these folks, you’ll feel right at home with my music.

A long time ago, a wise old musician told me to “write what you know,” so a lot of my songs are about the places I’ve been and the things I’ve seen. Sometimes humorous, sometimes folksy, sometimes melancholy, I try to write about the universal elements of life.

If this appeals to you, check me out!

Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you enjoy listening to my music at least as much as I enjoyed writing it!