Shirley Scott (March 14, 1934 – March 10, 2002) was an American jazz organist. Her music was noted for its mixture of bebop, blues, and gospel elements. She was known by the nickname "Queen of the Organ".[1][2]
Shirley Scott | |
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| Background information | |
| Born | March 14, 1934 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | March 10, 2002 (aged 67) Philadelphia |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
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| Instruments |
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| Years active | 1955–1995 |
| Labels | |
Life and career
editScott was born in Philadelphia. Her father operated a jazz club in the basement of the family home and her brother played saxophone.[3] At the age of eight, Scott began taking piano lessons.[4] After enrolling at the Philadelphia High School for Girls, where she was awarded a scholarship, Scott switched to playing trumpet and performed in the all-city schools band.[3]
She received bachelor and master's degrees at Cheyney University in Cheyney, Pennsylvania west of Philadelphia. Later in life Scott returned to the university as a teacher.[5]
As a performer in the 1950s, she played the Hammond B-3 organ. Her recordings with Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis included the hit "In the Kitchen". Influenced by gospel and blues, she played soul jazz in the 1960s with Stanley Turrentine, who became her husband during the same decade; the couple divorced in 1971.[6] Although organ trios declined in popularity during the 1970s, they resurged in the 1980s and she recorded again. In the 1990s, she recorded as pianist in a trio and performed at venues in Philadelphia.[7]
Scott won an $8 million settlement in 2000 against American Home Products, the manufacturers of the diet drug fen-phen. She died of heart failure in 2002.[7][8]
Discography
editAs leader
edit- 1958: Great Scott! (Prestige)
- 1958: Scottie (Prestige)
- 1959: Scottie Plays the Duke (Prestige)
- 1959: Soul Searching (Prestige)
- 1958–60: Shirley's Sounds (Prestige) - released 1961
- 1958–60: The Shirley Scott Trio (Moodsville)
- 1960: Soul Sister (Prestige) - with Lem Winchester; released 1966
- 1960: Mucho, Mucho (Prestige) - with The Latin Jazz Quintet
- 1960: Like Cozy (Moodsville) - released 1962
- 1961: Satin Doll (Prestige) - released 1963
- 1958–61: Workin' (Prestige) - released 1967
- 1960–61: Stompin' (Prestige) - released 1967
- 1961: Hip Soul (Prestige) - with Stanley Turrentine
- 1961: Blue Seven (Prestige) - with Oliver Nelson, Joe Newman; released 1966
- 1961: Hip Twist (Prestige) - with Stanley Turrentine
- 1961: Shirley Scott Plays Horace Silver (Prestige)
- 1962: Happy Talk (Prestige) - also released as Sweet Soul in 1965.
- 1963: The Soul Is Willing (Prestige) - with Stanley Turrentine
- 1963: Drag 'em Out (Prestige)
- 1963: For Members Only (Impulse!) - with Oliver Nelson
- 1963: Soul Shoutin' (Prestige) - with Stanley Turrentine
- 1964: Travelin' Light (Prestige) - with Kenny Burrell
- 1958–64: Now's the Time (Prestige) - released 1967
- 1964: Blue Flames (Prestige) - with Stanley Turrentine
- 1964: Great Scott!! (Impulse!) - with Oliver Nelson
- 1964: Everybody Loves a Lover (Impulse!) - with Stanley Turrentine
- 1964: Queen of the Organ [live] (Impulse!) - with Stanley Turrentine
- 1965: Latin Shadows (Impulse!) - with Gary McFarland
- 1966: On a Clear Day (Impulse!)
- 1966: Roll 'Em: Shirley Scott Plays the Big Bands (Impulse!) - with Oliver Nelson
- 1966: Soul Duo (Impulse!) - with Clark Terry
- 1967: Girl Talk (Impulse!)
- 1968: Soul Song (Atlantic) - with Stanley Turrentine
- 1969: Shirley Scott & the Soul Saxes (Atlantic) - with King Curtis, Hank Crawford, David "Fathead" Newman
- 1970: Something (Atlantic)
- 1971: Mystical Lady (Cadet)
- 1972: Lean on Me (Cadet)
- 1973: Superstition (Cadet) - with Richard Evans
- 1974: One for Me (Stata East) - with Harold Vick, Billy Higgins
- 1978: The Great Live Sessions (ABC/Impulse!) [2LP] - with Stanley Turrentine; recorded 1964
- 1989: Oasis (Muse)
- 1991: Great Scott! (Muse)
- 1991: Blues Everywhere (Candid)
- 1991: Skylark (Candid)
- 1992: A Walkin' Thing (Candid) - with Terell Stafford, Tim Warfield [9]
- 2023: Queen Talk: Live at the Left Bank (Reel to Real); recorded 1972
LP/CD compilations
edit- 1969: The Best of Shirley Scott With Stanley Turrentine (Prestige PR 7707)
- 1970: The Best of Shirley Scott With Stanley Turrentine/For Beautiful People (Prestige PR 7773)
- 1993: Workin' (Prestige) (compilation of Workin' + Stompin' )
- 1994: Soul Shoutin' (Prestige) (compilation of The Soul Is Willing + Soul Shoutin' )
- 1998: Legends of Acid Jazz: Shirley Scott (Prestige) (compilation of Hip Soul + Hip Twist)
- 1998: Stanley Turrentine & Shirley Scott: Priceless Jazz (GRP) (includes 3 tracks from Scott's Queen of the Organ and 5 tracks from Turrentine's Let It Go, both originally on Impulse!)
- 1999: Soul Sister (Prestige) (compilation of Soul Sister + Travelin' Light)
- 2001: Like Cozy (Prestige) (compilation of The Shirley Scott Trio + Like Cozy)
- 2001: Shirley Scott: Talkin' Verve (Verve) (includes tracks from 9 albums: Impulse! AS-9051/AS-9067/AS-9073/AS-9093/AS-9115/AS-9119/AS-9133/AS-9141 and Cadet CA-50009)
- 2003: Shirley Scott Memorial Album (1958–1964) (Prestige)
- 2004: Trio Classics, Vol. 1 (Prestige) (compilation of Great Scott! + Shirley's Sounds)
As sidewoman
editWith Stanley Turrentine
- 1961: Dearly Beloved (Blue Note)
- 1963: Never Let Me Go (Blue Note)
- 1963: A Chip Off the Old Block (Blue Note)
- 1964: Hustlin' (Blue Note)
- 1966: Let It Go (Impulse!)
- 1968: Common Touch (Blue Note)
With Mildred Anderson
- 1960: Person to Person (Bluesville)
- 1956–57: Jazz With A Beat (King)
- 1957: Count Basie Presents Eddie Davis Trio + Joe Newman (Roulette)
- 1958: Eddie Davis Trio Featuring Shirley Scott, Organ (Roulette)
- 1958: The Eddie Davis Trio Featuring Shirley Scott, Organ (Roost)
- 1958: The Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis Cookbook, Vol. 1 (Prestige)
- 1958: Jaws (Prestige)
- 1958: The Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis Cookbook, Vol. 2 (Prestige)
- 1959: Very Saxy (Prestige) - with Buddy Tate, Coleman Hawkins, Arnett Cobb
- 1959: Jaws in Orbit (Prestige)
- 1959: Bacalao (Prestige)
- 1960: Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis with Shirley Scott (Moodsville)
- 1961: The Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis Cookbook Volume 3 (Prestige) - recorded 1958
- 1963: Misty (Moodsville) - recorded 1959–60
- 1964: Smokin' (Prestige) - recorded 1958
With Jimmy Forrest
- 1978: Heart of the Forrest (Palo Alto)
With Dexter Gordon
- 1982: American Classic (Elektra/Musician)
With Al Grey
- 1977: Al Grey Jazz All Stars: Travelers Lounge Live (Travelers)
- 1979: Al Grey/Jimmy Forrest Quintet: Live at Rick's (Aviva)
With Joe Newman
- 1958: Soft Swingin' Jazz (Coral)
With Jimmy Rushing
- 1967: Every Day I Have the Blues (BluesWay)
With Al Smith
- 1959: Hear My Blues (Bluesville)
References
edit- ^ "Shirley Scott, 67, Performer Known as the Queen of the Organ". The New York Times. 2002-03-16. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-11-26.
- ^ Jarenwattananon, Patrick (2015-10-29). "The Queen Of The Organ Was A Donor To Philadelphia". NPR. Retrieved 2021-11-26.
- ^ a b Vacher, Peter (2002-05-13). "Obituary: Shirley Scott". The Guardian. Retrieved 2021-11-26.
- ^ "Shirley Scott". The Independent. 2002-03-15. Retrieved 2021-11-26.
- ^ Thurber, Jon (2002-03-14). "Shirley Scott, 67; Jazz Musician Was Queen of Hammond Organ". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2021-11-26.
- ^ "Stanley Turrentine". The Daily Telegraph. September 25, 2000. Retrieved September 26, 2018.
- ^ a b Henderson, Alex. "Shirley Scott". AllMusic. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
- ^ 'Organ queen' Shirley Scott dies". March 13, 2002. New Pittsburgh Courier.
- ^ "Shirley Scott | Album Discography | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
External links
edit- Shirley Scott at AllMusic
- Shirley Scott discography at Discogs
- Shirley Scott discography by Doug Payne
- Shirley Scott discography at Jazzlists
- Shirley Scott on YouTube – last filmed public performance playing with Joey DeFrancesco at an organ summit in her honor in 1999
- Shirley Scott obituary by The Scotsman, accessed July 4, 2012
