About E.C. Scott
A Musical Journey
No less a music industry legend than Jerry Wexler, co-founder of
Atlantic Records, called E.C. Scott "one honest-to-God soul
singer." High praise indeed from the man who produced Aretha
Franklin, Ray Charles, and Wilson Pickett! Blues and R&B diva
E.C. Scott possesses a warm, inviting voice and a delivery that
can be smooth and sultry one minute and sassy and sexy the next.
She can mesmerize a crowd down to a whisper or rock them into a
loud frenzy.
E.C. Scott has developed her own style, a refreshingly original
and distinctively modern approach. Her enticing, rich voice,
hook-laden arrangements, and intelligent, at times humorous,
lyrics come together to produce songs that aren't easily
forgotten. "I want my music to have that old R&B flavor but with
a new sound," she says. While growing up in Oakland, California,
E.C. spent most of her time singing in St. John Missionary
Baptist Church. Later, witnessing performances by gospel singers
Shirley Caesar and Inez Andrews left a strong impression on her.
"I thought their world was fascinating and I wanted to be part
of it," says Scott. For E.C., singing became a "way of
releasing, and, hearing myself sing was a form of
entertainment." Her mother wouldn't let her listen to "worldly"
music, as she called it, but later, via her older sisters'
radio, "I was introduced to the hip stuff. I always wanted to do
that, but it was so taboo. I felt I'd go blind or I'd be
crippled the next day if I sang blues. I shied away from that
for many, many years."
Nonetheless, she loved listening to R&B music by artists such as
Gladys Knight, Dinah Washington, Bobby Bland, and Clarence
Carter. At the young age of 16, E. C. began singing in
nightclubs, quickly developed a following, and was being talked
up as one of the area's rising stars. But Scott's ambitions for
a singing career were soon put on hold to marry and raise her
family. She decided to resume her career when her children were
8 and 10.
E.C.'s growing reputation allowed her to share the stage with
Lou Rawls, Ray Charles, Patti La Belle, Jr. Walker and the All
Stars, John Lee Hooker, and the Ohio Players. E.C. Scott and her
band Smoke built a strong following in the San Francisco Bay
Area with their dynamic performances at local clubs and a yearl
ong stint as the house band at Slim's, at the time San
Francisco's premier blues nightspot. In 1991 fervent fans backed
E.C.'s first recording, a single ("Just Dance" b/w "Let's Make
It Real") that sold amazingly well for a local, self-financed
project. Scott's crowd-pleasing prowess makes her equally
welcome at tony high-society gigs as well as the rowdiest blues
dive. In one year alone, E.C. performed at Grand Openings for
the San Francisco Symphony, the San Francisco Ballet, and the
San Francisco Opera, as well as at the City's formal Black &
White Ball. She's also wowed audiences at a number of blues
festival stages around the country and built a strong reputation
as a consummate performer.
Her 1995 debut release, Come Get Your Love, with its highly
original material and infectious grooves, quickly captured the
attention and praise of the blues community. Blues Revue said,
"Scott has one of the sexiest, smoothest, and most understated
deliveries in the genre and is a powerhouse entertainer to boot.
E.C. is a wonderful soul singer and an effective and
invigorating blues interpreter." Living Blues added, "E.C. Scott
must be ranked among the best of the promising female blues
singers in recent years." Many critics noted that she was a
singer, not merely a shouter, who sang with grace and control as
well as passion. And her self-described "blues with a hip-hop
flavor" marked her as a creative R&B vocal stylist on the
cutting edge of the blues.
On her next CD, entitled Hard Act To Follow and released in
1998, E.C. continued to deliver the goods with flair and style.
Downbeat gave it a four-star review, noting, "Scott cooks up a
lusty set of bumping barrelhouse blues, thumb-slapping funk,
gutsy circa-'60s rhythm & blues, and a couple of soul beauties.
Equally impressive is Scott's songwriting, informed by
contemporary issues." Stereo Review praised it thus: "At a time
when so many singers sound tortured and too many song-writers
have nothing to say, E.C. Scott is a fresh blast from the past."
The national blues publication Blues Access added, "If you're
casting director on a Broadway show about a great blues
songstress, select as your star E.C. Scott. Those in your
audience who know blues will applaud, while the others will give
her good reviews for her ballads, soul and R&B."
E.C. got 1999 off to a good start by receiving a W.C. Handy
nomination (Now the Blues Music Awards) for Soul/Blues Female
Artist of the Year. Her recognition as a singer and performer
extraordinaire was further enhanced by a string of memorable
appearances on stages across the country, including a rousing
appearance at the San Francisco Blues Festival, on which the San
Francisco Examiner reported, "Oakland's fantastically powerful
and soulful vocalist E.C. Scott just flat out scorched through
the fog." With her artistry, her engaging, exciting stage
presence, and her new Masterpiece, E.C. Scott will no doubt be
adding substantial numbers of devoted fans to her following.
2002 Miss Scott released her 4th CD on Black Bud Records (her
own record Label) which went to #1 on the Living Blues Chart.
E.C. is currently in the recording studio working on her 5th
album scheduled for release in 2024
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