Jimmy Scott (1925-2014)

In my adult life, people have looked at me as an oddity. I've been called a queer, a little girl, an old woman, a freak, and a fag. As a singer, I've been criticized for sounding feminine. They say I don't belong in any category, male or female, pop or jazz. But early on, I saw my suffering as my salvation.

                                                                Jimmy Scott, from David Ritz, Faith in Time

One of my favorite song stylists, Jimmy Scott, died in his sleep on Thursday, June 12, of congestive heart failure at his home in Las Vegas. He was 88.

Narratives of Jimmy Scott's life usually emphasize his almost unrelenting hard luck. He was born with Kallman syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that also affected one of his brothers and two uncles. It prevented him from reaching puberty, which stunted his growth, left him with a high-pitched voice, made him infertile, and caused secondary health problems, including a heart condition. He also suffered a number of career setbacks (noted below), which led to long periods of inactivity. In 2000, New York Times critic Joseph Hooper described him as “perhaps the most unjustly ignored singer of the 20^th century.” His eventual success—more critical than financial—did not come until his late sixties.

He was ultimately able to turn his contralto voice to his professional advantage. He typically sang very slowly, behind the beat, with deep emotion. His pauses, emphases, and unusual phrasing brought new meaning to the lyrics of familiar songs. He was a favorite of many other singers.

James Victor Scott was born in Cleveland on July 17, 1925, the third of ten children. He learned to sing in church choirs. His mother was run down and killed by a drunk driver when he was 13. Since his father was absent, this led to his placement in a series of orphanages and foster homes. In 1944, he joined a traveling vaudeville show headlined by Estelle “Caldonia” Young, a dancer and contortionist.

In 1948, he came to the attention of Lionel Hampton and became a singer with Hampton's band under the name “Little Jimmy Scott.” His only hit record, “Everybody's Somebody's Fool,” reached #6 on the R&B charts in October, 1950. However, he received little recognition, since the record label listed only Hampton and his Orchestra. (This was unusual; most big band records listed the names of vocalists on the label.)

Throughout the '50s, he recorded a succession of mostly ballads for the Roost, Coral, Savoy and King labels. Despite their consistent high quality, none of these records sold well, perhaps because he was a pop singer recording for R&B labels. Here's a favorite of mine, "Rain in My Eyes," from Roost in 1952. (The person who posted it illustrated the song with a scene from a 1950s Italian movie. I don't recognize the film, but I'm pretty sure the actress is Silvana Mangano.)

In 1962, his friend Ray Charles personally produced what many consider his best album, Falling in Love is Wonderful, for the Tangerine label. However, Herman Lubinsky, owner of Savoy Records, one of the prototypical villains of the early days of rock and roll, claimed to have Jimmy Scott under “lifetime contract,” and the album was withdrawn. It was finally released 40 years later. The threat of a Lubinsky lawsuit also prevented the release of The Source, which he recorded for Atlantic in 1969.

As a result, Jimmy Scott largely retired from show business, working as an elevator operator, hospital orderly and shipping clerk, while performing only occasionally. He suffered from a drinking problem, which he admits contributed to the breakup of four of his five marriages. (He was married to his fifth wife, Jeanie, for ten years at the time of his death.) At age 37, he experienced an unexpected growth spurt, which changed his height from 4' 11” to 5' 7”. Doctors suggested a treatment that might cure his Kallman syndrome, but he declined due to its unpredictable effect on his singing voice.

His rediscovery came in 1991, when he agreed to the request of his longtime friend, songwriter Doc Pomus, that he sing at his funeral. Another friend of Pomus, Lou Reed, heard him and invited him to record and tour with him. (The only time I saw Jimmy Scott was at Radio City Music Hall, opening for Lou Reed.) Also present at Pomus' funeral was Seymour Stein, owner of Sire Records, who invited him to record an album. Suddenly, Jimmy Scott became a favorite in elite circles. He sang “Sycamore Trees” on the finale of David Lynch's TV series, Twin Peaks, and performed at an inaugural ball for Bill Clinton.

His first Sire album, All the Way (1992) was nominated for a Grammy in the jazz vocal category. It was followed by several other well-received albums, and created a market for the reissue of his Savoy recordings. 

In 2007, Jimmy Scott received the National Endowment for the Arts' Jazz Master award. He was also named a Living Jazz Legend by the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. He was especially popular in Europe and Japan. Here he is singing at a 1997 Carnegie Hall concert honoring a Scott fan, Clint Eastwood. The pianist is Kenny Barron.

Jimmy Scott continued to tour with his backup group, the Jazz Expressions, until two years ago, sometimes singing from a wheelchair. His final recording sessions took place a couple of months ago.

I strongly recommend the video documentary, Jimmy Scott: If You Only Knew, and David Ritz's biography, Faith in Time. A good selection of his early recordings, up through and including the Tangerine album, can be found on Jasmine Records' recent release, Great Scott.

You may also be interested in reading:

Herb Jeffries: The Bronze Buckaroo (1913-2014)