Jack Scott (singer)
Jack Scott (born Giovanni Domenico Scafone Jr.; January 24, 1936 – December 12, 2019)[1] was a Canadian-American singer and songwriter. He was inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2011 and was called "undeniably the greatest Canadian rock and roll singer of all time."[2]
Jack Scott | |
---|---|
Birth name | Giovanni Domenico Scafone, Jr. |
Born | Windsor, Ontario, Canada | January 24, 1936
Died | December 12, 2019 83) Warren, Michigan, U.S. | (aged
Genres | Rock and roll Rockabilly |
Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter |
Instruments | Vocals |
Years active | 1957–2019 |
Labels | ABC-Paramount, Carlton, London, Top Rank, Capitol, RCA, Jubilee, Groove, Harvest |
Career
Scott spent his early childhood in Windsor, Ontario, across the river from Detroit, Michigan.[3] When he was 10, his family moved to Hazel Park, a Detroit suburb. He grew up listening to hillbilly music and was taught to play the guitar by his mother, Laura.[3] As a teenager, he pursued a singing career and recorded as "Jack Scott". At the age of 18, he formed the Southern Drifters.[3] After leading the band for three years, he signed to ABC-Paramount Records as a solo artist in 1957.[3]
After recording two good-selling local hits for ABC-Paramount in 1957, he switched to the Carlton record label and had a double-sided national hit in 1958 with "Leroy" (#11) / "My True Love" (#3).[3] The record sold over one million copies, earning Scott his first gold disc.[4] Later in 1958, "With Your Love" (#28) reached the Top 40. In all, six of 12 songs on his first album became hit singles. On most of these tracks, he was backed up by the vocal group the Chantones.[5]
He served in the United States Army during most of 1959, just after "Goodbye Baby" (#8) made the Top Ten. 1959 also saw him chart with "The Way I Walk" (#35). Most of his Carlton master tapes were believed lost or destroyed until Rollercoaster Records in England released a vinyl EP, "Jack Scott Rocks", and CD, The Way I Walk, which were for the most part mastered from original tapes rather than the disc dubs used for previous reissues.
At the beginning of 1960, Scott again changed record labels, this time to Top Rank Records.[3] He then recorded four Billboard Hot 100 hits – "What in the World's Come Over You" (#5), "Burning Bridges" (#3) b/w "Oh Little One" (#34), and "It Only Happened Yesterday" (#38).[3] "What in the World's Come Over You" was Scott's second gold disc winner.[6] Scott continued to record and perform during the 1960s and 1970s.[3] His song "You're Just Gettin' Better" reached the country charts in 1974.[3] In May 1977, he recorded a Peel session for BBC Radio 1 disc jockey John Peel.
Scott had more US singles (19), in a shorter period of time (41 months), than any other recording artist except for The Beatles, Elvis Presley, Fats Domino and Connie Francis.[7] He wrote all of his own hits, except one: "Burning Bridges."[5]
It has been said that "with the exception of Roy Orbison and Elvis Presley, no white rock and roller of the time ever developed a finer voice with a better range than Jack Scott, or cut a more convincing body of work in rockabilly, rock and roll, country-soul, gospel or blues".[5][8]
In 2007, Jack Scott was voted into the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame.[9] In 2011, he was inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame. Later Scott was nominated for the Hit Parade Hall of Fame. He continued singing and touring and lived in a suburb of Detroit.
Scott died of congestive heart failure on December 12, 2019, at the age of 83. His niece, singer and actress Rio Scafone, announced his death on her Facebook page, stating that he had suffered a massive heart attack on December 8 and there was nothing they could do for him. Scott died four days later, in the afternoon.[10][11]
Discography
Albums
Year | Album |
---|---|
1959 | Jack Scott (Carlton 12–107) |
1960 | I Remember Hank Williams (Top Rank RM319) |
1960 | What in the World's Come Over You (Top Rank RM326) |
1960 | What Am I Living For (Carlton 12–122) |
1960 | The Spirit Moves Me (Top Rank RM348) |
1964 | Burning Bridges (Capitol T2035) |
2015 | Way To Survive (Bluelight BLR 33176) |
Singles
Year | Single (A-side, B-side) Both sides from same album except where indicated |
Chart Positions | Album | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US | US R&B | US Country | CAN Rock | CAN Country | UK | |||
1957 | "Baby, She's Gone" b/w "You Can Bet Your Bottom Dollar" |
— | — | — | — | — | — | What Am I Living For |
"Two Timin' Woman" b/w "I Need Your Love" |
— | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1958 | "My True Love" / | 3 | 5 | — | — | — | 9 | Jack Scott |
"Leroy" | 25 | 5 | — | — | — | — | ||
"With Your Love" / | 28 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
"Geraldine" | 96 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
"Goodbye Baby" / | 8 | — | — | — | — | |||
"Save My Soul" | 73 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1959 | "I Never Felt Like This" b/w "Bella" |
78 | — | — | — | — | — | What Am I Living For |
"The Way I Walk" b/w "Midgie" |
35 | — | — | — | — | 30 | Jack Scott | |
"There Comes A Time" b/w "Baby Marie" |
71 | — | — | — | — | — | What Am I Living For | |
1960 | "What in the World's Come Over You" b/w "Baby, Baby" |
5 | 7 | — | 2 | — | 11 | What in the World's Come Over You |
"Burning Bridges" / | 3 | 5 | — | 4 | — | 32 | ||
"Oh, Little One" | 34 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
"What Am I Living For" b/w "Indiana Waltz" (from Jack Scott) |
— | — | — | — | — | — | What Am I Living For | |
"It Only Happened Yesterday" / | 38 | — | — | 6 | — | — | Burning Bridges | |
"Cool Water" | 85 | — | — | 6 | — | — | ||
"No One Will Ever Know" b/w "Go Wild Little Sadie" |
— | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album tracks | |
"Patsy" b/w "Old Time Religion" (from The Spirit Moves Me) |
65 | — | — | 29 | — | — | Burning Bridges | |
1961 | "Is There Something On Your Mind" b/w "I Found A Woman" (Non-album track) |
89 | — | — | — | — | — | |
"A Little Feeling (Called Love)" b/w "Now That I" (Non-album track) |
91 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
"My Dream Come True" b/w "Strange Desire" (Non-album track) |
83 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
"Steps One And Two" b/w "One Of These Days" (Non-album track) |
86 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
"If Only" b/w "Green Green Valley" |
— | — | — | 30 | — | — | Non-album tracks | |
1962 | "Cry Cry Cry" b/w "Grizzily Bear" |
— | — | — | — | — | — | |
"The Part Where I Cry" b/w "You Only See What You Wanna See" |
— | — | — | — | — | — | ||
"Sad Story" b/w "I Can't Hold Your Letters (In My Arms)" |
— | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1963 | "Laugh and The World Laughs With You" b/w "Strangers" (Non-album track) |
— | — | — | — | — | — | Burning Bridges |
"All I See Is Blue" b/w "Meo Myo" |
— | — | — | — | — | — | ||
"There's Trouble Brewin'" b/w "Jingle Bells Slide" |
— | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album tracks | |
1964 | "I Knew You First" b/w "Blue Skies (Moving In On Me)" |
— | — | — | — | — | — | |
"What A Wonderful Night Out" b/w "Wiggle On Out" |
— | — | — | — | — | — | ||
"Thou Shalt Not Steal" b/w "I Prayed For An Angel" |
— | — | — | — | — | — | ||
"Tall Tales" b/w "Flakey John" |
— | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1965 | "I Don't Believe In Tea Leaves" b/w "Separation's Now Granted" |
— | — | — | — | — | — | |
"Don't Hush The Laughter" b/w "Let's Learn To Live and Love Again" |
— | — | — | — | — | — | ||
"I Hope I Think I Wish" b/w "Looking For Linda" |
— | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1966 | "Before The Bird Flies" b/w "Insane" |
— | — | — | — | — | — | |
1967 | "My Special Angel" b/w "I Keep Changing My Mind" |
— | — | — | — | — | — | |
1970 | "Billy Jack" b/w "Mary Marry Me" |
— | — | — | — | — | — | |
1973 | "May You Never Be Alone" b/w "Face To The Wall" |
— | — | — | — | — | — | |
1974 | "You're Just Gettin' Better" b/w "As You Take A Walk Through My Mind" |
— | — | 92 | — | — | — | |
1992 | "Burning Bridges" (with Carroll Baker) | — | — | — | — | 55 | — |
References
- "RIP: Jack Scott, Canada's First Rock Star". FYIMusicNews.ca. December 13, 2019. Retrieved December 13, 2019.
- Marsh, Dave – author of Born to Run and co-editor of The Rolling Stone Record Guide – 1990
- "Biography by Bill Dahl". Allmusic.com. Retrieved April 12, 2009.
- Murrells, Joseph (1978). The Book of Golden Discs (2nd ed.). London: Barrie and Jenkins Ltd. p. 107. ISBN 0-214-20512-6.
- "オンラインカジノ初心者なび | はじめてのオンラインカジノ。画像つきで解説します。". Jackscottmusic.com. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
- Murrells, Joseph (1978). The Book of Golden Discs (2nd ed.). London: Barrie and Jenkins Ltd. p. 128. ISBN 0-214-20512-6.
- "Jack Scott". Billboard.com. Retrieved December 13, 2019.
- Eder, Bruce, AllMusic Guide to Rock, 3rd Edition, 2003
- "Michigan Rock and Roll Legends - JACK SCOTT". Michiganrockandrolllegends.com. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
- "Rio Scafone". Facebook.com.
- "Singer/songwriter Jack Scott, known for string of late '50s hits, dead at 83". Detroit News.