Little Jimmy Scott Sings Holding Back The Years youtube/watch?v=ud4xnX3gaZ8 James Victor Jimmy Scott (July 17, 1925 – June 12, 2014), also known as Little Jimmy Scott, was an American jazz vocalist famous for his unusually high contralto voice and his sensitivity on ballads and love songs. After a series of successes in the 1940s and 50s, Scotts career faltered by the early 60s. He slid into obscurity before launching a well-received comeback in the 1990s. His unusual singing voice was due to Kallmanns syndrome, a very rare genetic condition. The condition stunted his growth at four feet eleven inches until, at the age of 37, he grew another eight inches to the height of five feet seven inches. The condition prevented him from reaching puberty, leaving him with a high, undeveloped voice. Scott was born in Cleveland, Ohio, to Authur and Justine Stanard Scott, the third in a family of ten. As a child Jimmy got his first singing experience by his mothers side at the family piano, and later, in church choir. At thirteen, he was orphaned when his mother was killed by a drunk driver.[2] He first rose to prominence as Little Jimmy Scott in the Lionel Hampton Band when he sang lead on the late 1940s hit Everybodys Somebodys Fool, recorded in December 1949, and which became a top ten R&B hit in 1950.[2] Credit on the label, however, went to Lionel Hampton and vocalists, so the singers name did not appear on any of the songs. This omission of credit was not only a slight to Scotts talent but a big blow to his career. A similar professional insult occurred several years later when his vocal on Embraceable You with Charlie Parker, on the album One Night in Birdland, was credited to female vocalist Chubby Newsome.[ Lionel Hampton gave him the stage name of Little Jimmy Scott because he looked so young, and was short and of slight build. However, it was his extraordinary phrasing and romantic feeling that made him a favorite singer of fellow artists such as Billie Holiday, Ray Charles, Frankie Valli, Dinah Washington and Nancy Wilson. In 1963, it looked as though Scotts luck had changed: he signed to Ray Charles Tangerine Records label, under the supervision of Charles himself, creating what is considered by many to be one of the great jazz vocal albums of all time, Falling in Love is Wonderful. Owing to obligations on an earlier contract that Scott had signed with Herman Lubinsky, the record was withdrawn in a matter of days, while Scott was on honeymoon. The album was not re-released for forty years. Scott disputes the lifetime contract; Lubinsky loaned Jimmy out to Syd Nathan at King Records for 45 recordings in 1957–58. Another album, The Source (1969), was not released until 2001. Scotts career faded by the late 1960s and he returned to his native Cleveland to work as a hospital orderly, shipping clerk and as an elevator operator in a hotel. Scott eventually resurfaced in 1991 when he sang at the funeral of songwriter Doc Pomus, his long-time friend, an event that single-handedly sparked his career renaissance.[7] Afterwards Lou Reed recruited him to sing back-up on the track Power and Glory from his 1992 album Magic and Loss, which was inspired, to an extent, by Pomuss death. Scott was seen on the series finale of David Lynchs television series Twin Peaks, singing Sycamore Trees, a song with lyrics by Lynch and music by Angelo Badalamenti. Scott was featured on the soundtrack of the follow-up film, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me. Also in attendance at Pomuss funeral was Seymour Stein, founder and operator of Sire Records, who released Scotts 1992 album All The Way, produced by Tommy Lipuma and featuring artists such as Kenny Barron, Ron Carter, and David Fathead Newman. Scott was nominated for a Grammy Award for this album. He followed this up with the album Dream in 1994 and the jazz-gospel album Heaven in 1996. His next work, a critically acclaimed album of pop and rock interpretations entitled Holding Back The Years (1998), was produced by Gerry McCarthy and Dale Ashley. Released in the US on Artists Only Records in October 1998, it peaked at #14 on the Billboard Jazz Albums chart. In Japan, it won the prestigious Swing Journal Award for Best Jazz Album Of The Year (2000). The title track marked the first time in his career that Scott overdubbed his own harmony vocal tracks. Holding Back The Years features cover art by Mark Kostabi, liner notes by Lou Reed, and includes critically acclaimed versions of Nothing Compares 2 U (written by Prince), Jealous Guy (John Lennon), Almost Blue (Elvis Costello), and Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word (Elton John & Bernie Taupin). In 1999, Scotts early recordings on the Decca label were re-released on CD, as were all of his recordings with the Savoy Label between 1952 and 1975 in a three-disc box set. In 2000, Scott signed to the Milestone jazz label, and recorded four critically acclaimed albums, each produced by Todd Barkan, and featuring a variety of jazz artists, including Wynton Marsalis, Renee Rosnes, Bob Kindred, Eric Alexander, Lew Soloff, George Mraz, Lewis Nash, as well as Scotts own touring and recording band The Jazz Expressions. He also released two live albums, both recorded in Japan, featuring the Jazz Expressions. In 2012, he joined the 11th annual Independent Music Awards judging panel to assist independent musicians careers. He died on June 12, 2014, aged 88. He died in his sleep at his home in Las Vegas, of cardiac arrest.
Posted on: Sat, 29 Nov 2014 01:47:17 +0000