James Victor Scott, known professionally as Little Jimmy Scott or Jimmy Scott, was an American jazz vocalist known for his high natural contralto voice and his sensitivity on ballads and love songs.
22 Facts About Jimmy Scott
2.
Jimmy Scott slid into obscurity before a comeback in the 1990s.
3.
James Victor Jimmy Scott was born on July 17,1925, in Cleveland, Ohio, United States.
4.
Jimmy Scott's phrasing made him a favorite of artists including Billie Holiday, Ray Charles, Frankie Valli, Dinah Washington and Nancy Wilson.
5.
Jimmy Scott rose to prominence as Little Jimmy Scott in the Lionel Hampton band as lead singer on "Everybody's Somebody's Fool", recorded in December 1949.
6.
Credit on the label went to "Lionel Hampton and vocalists"; Jimmy Scott received no credit on any of the songs.
7.
The album was withdrawn while Jimmy Scott was on his honeymoon because he had signed a contract with Herman Lubinsky; it would be 40 years before the album was reissued.
8.
Jimmy Scott's career faded by the late 1960s, and he returned to his native Cleveland to work as a hospital orderly, shipping clerk, and elevator operator.
9.
Jimmy Scott returned to music in 1989 when manager Alan Eichler arranged for him to share a late-night bill with Johnnie Ray at New York's Ballroom.
10.
When Jimmy Scott sang at the funeral of his friend, songwriter Doc Pomus, the event further renewed his career.
11.
Jimmy Scott performed the song "Sycamore Trees" in the climactic final episode of the original Twin Peaks in 1991; and Lou Reed invited him to sing backup on the song "Power and Glory" on Reed's 1992 album Magic and Loss.
12.
Jimmy Scott was nominated for a Grammy Award for the album.
13.
Jimmy Scott released Dream in 1994 and the album Heaven in 1996.
14.
The title track marked the first time in his career that Jimmy Scott overdubbed his harmony vocal tracks.
15.
In 2000, Jimmy Scott signed with Milestone and recorded four albums, each produced by Todd Barkan with guests such as Wynton Marsalis, Renee Rosnes, Bob Kindred, Eric Alexander, Lew Soloff, George Mraz, Lewis Nash, and Jimmy Scott's touring and recording band, The Jazz Expressions.
16.
On May 10,2014, Jimmy Scott's final recording session took place in the living room of his home.
17.
Jimmy Scott died in his sleep at his home in Las Vegas on June 12,2014, at the age of 88.
18.
Jimmy Scott performed at the inaugurations of Presidents Eisenhower and Clinton.
19.
Jimmy Scott received the NEA Jazz Masters award from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Living Legend Award from the Kennedy Center, the Pioneer Award from NABOB, and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Jazz Foundation of America.
20.
Jimmy Scott's recording of "If I Ever Lost You" can be heard in the opening credits of the 2005 HBO movie Lackawanna Blues.
21.
Jimmy Scott was mentioned on The Cosby Show, when Clair and Cliff Huxtable bet on the year in which "An Evening in Paradise" was recorded.
22.
Jimmy Scott died in his sleep at his home in Las Vegas on June 12,2014, at the age of 88.