Jack Scott

Biography

Jack Scott (born Giovanni Domenico Scafone, Jr.; January 24, 1936 – December 12, 2019) was a Canadian-American singer and songwriter. He was best known for his string of country music and rockabilly hits in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Scott was inducted into the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame in 2007 and the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2011.

Early life

Scott was born in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, to Italian-American parents. He spent his early childhood in Windsor, across the river from Detroit, Michigan. 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.

Career

As a teenager, Scott pursued a singing career and recorded as "Jack Scott". At the age of 18, he formed the Southern Drifters. After leading the band for three years, he signed to ABC-Paramount Records as a solo artist in 1957.
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" (No. 11) / "My True Love×My True Love1995 · Album · CompilationSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 14 tracks1The Way I Walk2:432Midgie2:143Save My Soul1:524My True Love2:475With Your Love2:046Bella2:077I'm Dreaming of You2:108There Comes a Time2:229Baby She's Gone2:4910I Never Felt Like This1:5211Two-Timin' Woman1:5912Geraldine2:0113Leroy2:0914Goodbye Baby2:07" (No. 3). The record sold over one million copies, earning Scott his first gold disc. Later in 1958, "With Your Love" (No. 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.
He served in the United States Army during most of 1959, just after "Goodbye Baby" (No. 8) made the Top Ten. 1959 also saw him chart with "The Way I Walk" (No. 35). Most of his Carlton master tapes were believed lost or destroyed until Rollercoaster Records in England released a vinyl EP, "Jack Scott Rocks×Jack Scott Rocks1985 · Album · CompilationSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 14 tracksA1Baby She's Gone2:47A2Two Timin' Woman1:57A3What Am I Living For2:17A4Go Wild Little Sadie2:34A5There Comes a Time2:23A6I Never Felt Like This1:50A7With Your Love2:01B1Leroy2:07B2Geraldine2:03B3The Way I Walk2:41B4Midgie2:13B5My True Love2:44B6Save My Soul1:51B7Goodbye Baby2:08", 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. He then recorded four Billboard Hot 100 hits – "What in the World's Come Over You×What in the world's come over you1960 · EPSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracksA1What in the world's come over youA2My KingB1Burning bridgesB2Oh, little one" (No. 5), "Burning Bridges" (No. 3) b/w "Oh Little One" (No. 34), and "It Only Happened Yesterday" (No. 38). "What in the World's Come Over You" was Scott's second gold disc winner. Scott continued to record and perform during the 1960s and 1970s. His song "You're Just Gettin' Better" reached the country charts in 1974. In May 1977, he recorded a Peel session for BBC Radio 1 disc jockey John Peel.
Scott released his penultimate album in 1995, a live set recorded with British band the Class of '58 while headlining at the 1994 Rockhouse Festival in the Netherlands.
In 2007, Jack Scott was voted into the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame. In 2011, he was inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Scott's final album, the studio album Way to Survive×Way to SurviveOctober 2015 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracksA1Tennessee Saturday NightA2Woman (Sensuous Woman)A3I Just Came Home to Count the MemoriesA4Ribbon of DarknessA5Wiggle on OutA6TroubleB1Honky Tonk BluesB2Hillbilly FeverB3I’m Afraid to Love YouB4You Don’t Know What You’ve GotB5I’ll Be Coming Back for MoreB6Way to Survive was released in 2015.

Later life and death

Scott lived most of his life in Hazel Park, Michigan, before moving to nearby Sterling Heights in his later years. He suffered a heart attack on December 6, 2019, and died six days later at St. John Macomb Hospital in Warren, Michigan, aged 83.