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 mother's side at the family piano, and later, in church choir. At thirteen, he was orphaned when his mother was killed by a drunk driver.
He first rose to national prominence as "Little Jimmy Scott" in the Lionel Hampton Band when he sang lead on the late 1940s hit "Everybody's Somebody's Fool", recorded in December 1949, and which became a top ten R&B hit in 1950. Credit on the label, however, went to "Lionel Hampton and vocalists", so the singer's name did not appear on any of the songs. This omission of credit was not only a slight to Scott's 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 Scott's luck had changed for the good. He was 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 a contract that Scott had signed earlier with Herman Lubinsky, the record was yanked from the shelves in a matter of days, while Jimmy was honeymooning. Forty years later this cult album became available to the public again. 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.
Scott's 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 his long-time friend Doc Pomus, an event that single-handedly sparked his career renaissance. 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 Pomus's death. Scott was seen on the series finale of David Lynch's 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 Pomus's funeral was Seymour Stein, founder and operator of Sire Records, who released Scott's 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 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, Scott's 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 Jimmy's 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. For some years a new album entitled I Remember You was mentioned via various official channels, including Jimmy's official website.
He died on June 12, 2014, aged 88.
Legacy
Scott's career spanned sixty-five years. He performed with Charlie Parker, Sarah Vaughan, Lester Young, Lionel Hampton, Charles Mingus, Fats Navarro, Quincy Jones, Bud Powell, Ray Charles, Wynton Marsalis, and Peter Cincotti. He also performed with a host of musicians from other genres of music, such as David Byrne, Lou Reed, Flea, Michael Stipe, and Antony & The Johnsons.
Scott performed at President Dwight Eisenhower's (1953) and President Bill Clinton's (1993) inaugurations, where he sang the same song, "Why Was I Born?". Later, Scott appeared in live performances with Pink Martini, and continued to perform internationally at music festivals and at his own concerts until shortly before his death.
In 2007, Scott received the 2007 NEA Jazz Master Award. He also received the Kennedy Center's "Jazz In Our Time" Living Legend Award, and N.A.B.O.B.'s Pioneer Award in 2007. In September 2008 he did a "two-day video interview" at his Vegas home with the "Smithsonian Institute for the National Archives". Scott and his wife Jeanie lived in Las Vegas, Nevada after 2007, having previously living in Euclid, Ohio, for 10 years.
Little Jimmy Scott's "If I Ever Lost You" can be heard in the opening credits of the HBO movie Lackawanna Blues. He was also mentioned on The Cosby Show, when Clair and Cliff Huxtable bet on the year in which "An Evening In Paradise" was recorded. On August 17, 2013, at Cleveland State University in his hometown, Cleveland, Ohio, he was inducted into inaugural 2013 of the R&B Music Hall of Fame.
I'll Close My Eyes
Jimmy Scott Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A song through its doors
Just as if it seems to know
I'm exclusively yours
Knowing this
I feel but one way
You will understand too
I'll close my eyes
To everyone but you
And when I do
I'll see you standing there
I'll lock my heart
To any other caress
I'll never say yes
To a new love affair
Then I'll close my eyes
To everything that's gay
If you are not there
Oh, to share each lovely day
And through the years
In those moments
When we're far apart
Don't you know I'll close my eyes
And I'll see you with my heart
The lyrics to the song "I'll Close My Eyes" by Jimmy Scott are a declaration of love and commitment to a special someone. According to the lyrics, the singer feels that heaven has sent him a song that signifies the exclusivity of his love for this person. The lyrics suggest that the singer wants to make a promise to stay committed to this person alone. For that reason, he vows to shut off the world from his eyes, to only see this person standing there in front of him.
The lyrics continue to reinforce this promise of commitment- the singer says he will lock his heart away from other touches and will never say yes to a new love affair. It's evident that he wants to spend his life sharing each lovely day with this person, and if they're not there, then he will close his eyes to anything that's gay. The song ends with a heart-warming message about looking forward to being together, even when they are far apart. The singer promises to keep his beloved close to his heart, and that when he closes his eyes, he will see this person there with him.
In summary, the lyrics of "I'll Close My Eyes" by Jimmy Scott are a beautiful promise of love and commitment to a special someone. The singer vows to stay committed to this person alone, shutting off the world from his eyes and locking his heart away from other touches. He wants to spend his life sharing each lovely day with this person and promises to keep them close to his heart, even when they are far apart.
Line by Line Meaning
Heaven sends
The divine sends a melody through its gates
A song through its doors
A tune passed via the entrance of the divine realm
Just as if it seems to know
As if the heavens are aware and thus provide for it
I'm exclusively yours
You are the only one that I belong to
Knowing this
Realizing this certainty
I feel but one way
My sentiments could only be one
You will understand too
You will also comprehend this
In these words that I say
In the sentence that I utter
I'll close my eyes
I will shut my lids
To everyone but you
I will ignore all except you
And when I do
At that instant
I'll see you standing there
I will behold you in front of me
I'll lock my heart
I will secure my emotions
To any other caress
From the allure of any other touch
I'll never say yes
I will not consent to
To a new love affair
Engage in a romantic attachment with anyone else
Then I'll close my eyes
At that point, I will shut my eyelids
To everything that's gay
To all the joyful things
If you are not there
If you are absent
Oh, to share each lovely day
To have you there for every beautiful moment
And through the years
As the years pass
In those moments
In those special times
When we're far apart
When we are distanced
Don't you know I'll close my eyes
Do you not realize I will shut my eyelids
And I'll see you with my heart
And I will envision you with my soul
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: BUDDY KAYE, BILLY REID
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Becky Davis
a true artist who can channel the higher messages from above.....
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Antonio Betancourt
..entendiéndome...
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