From his formative years as a musician growing up
in Texas in the days of early rock and roll, R&B,
the blues and folk, Scaggs was steeped in the music
coming out of New Orleans, Memphis, Chicago and
from down the road, Dallas. He made his way as a
journeyman in the small combo tradition as a rhythm
and bass guitar player and sometime singer in Madison
and Austin before landing in London, England in
1965 with a group from Texas. He went on to travel
in the "dharma bum" tradition, playing
in small clubs and sitting in "wherever I found
myself" for the next couple of years, making
his first record and establishing a home base in
Stockholm.
After an overland trip through Eastern Europe and
on to India and Nepal in 1967, Scaggs headed to
San Francisco for a gig with the Steve Miller Band
that was to last a year and include that band's
first two albums. Next came a solo record, titled
simply Boz Scaggs, which was made with
the legendary Mussel Shoals rhythm section and featured
the great Duane Allman.
Later, Scaggs returned to San Francisco to play
the club circuit in the Bay Area. This led to a
signing with Columbia Records that lasted some 20
years and produced nine records, notably the mid-seventies
Slow Dancer and Silk Degrees,
and then Middle Man in the 80's.
After a ten-year hiatus, Scaggs recorded four albums
including the Grammy-nominated Come On Home,
a blues and R&B collection that honored his
musical roots, and the critically-acclaimed 2001
release, Dig which was, in his own words,
"the best work of my life in music."
The current release, But Beautiful, sets
another career standard. These are the vocals of
an accomplished musician who has honed his craft
over time and knows how to deliver a lyric; this
is a voice enriched by time.
Albums available through Mailboat
BozScaggs.com