Bobby Scott

Though he left performing for composing at the end of the '50s and stayed away many years before returning, Bobby Scott made some entertaining, delightful music. He was a good pianist, effective vocalist, and above average vibist. Scott also played accordion, bass, cello, and clarinet. He studied at the La Follette School of Music in New York City in 1945 with Edvard Moritz, a former Debussy pupil as a child, and was a professional at 11. He was playing with Louis Prima and traveling with veteran musicians at 15. Scott worked with Gene Krupa and Tony Scott (unrelated) in the mid-'50s, and had a pop hit with his version of "Chain Gang." Scott worked at the Cafe Bohemia, and appeared at the Great South Bay Jazz Festival in 1958 and the New Haven Festival of Arts in 1959. He then became a teacher of theory and harmony and resumed his studies with Moritz. But Scott gradually returned to performing and recording. His final album, the Nat King Cole tribute For Sentimental Reasons, was recorded in 1989 and released in 1990, the same year that Scott died of lung cancer at the age of 53. Scott recorded as a leader for Verve, ABC-Paramount, Bethlehem, and Musicmasters. His recordings have been made available during the digital era on such releases as the 2000 Collectables two-fer A Taste of Honey/The Compleat Musician and the 2007 Fresh Sound compilation The Compositions of Bobby Scott.