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Top » Bands and Artists » S » Scaggs, Boz » Biographies

Biography: Boz Scaggs; A 21st Century Troubadour

The son of a traveling salesman, William Royce Scaggs was born at home in Canton, Ohio on June 8, 1944. When his father returned home from serving in World War II, the family moved to Oklahoma before settling in Stockholm, Texas. At the age of 12, Scaggs already had an interest in the music crackling from the car's AM radio. Listening in rapture to T-Bone Walker, Ray Charles, Jimmy Reed and other legends of the era, he knew that this is what he wanted to do. Scaggs attended St. Marks, a private school in Dallas, where he met up with Steve Miller. Steve taught Scaggs some basic guitar and the two formed a band, The Marksmen, playing the rhythm and blues that they both loved. Scaggs was given the name Bosley by his friend Donald Ivert at the age of 14. Later, he would be called simply Boz. After graduating, Boz joined Miller at the University of Wisconsin in Madison where they put together the band they called the Ardells. They were also members of the Fabulous Night Trains, made up of the top local musical talent. Eventually Boz's musical education got the better of his college education and he dropped out of the university. After serving a short stint in the US Army in San Antonio, he formed a R&B band called the Wigs in Austin, TX. In 1964, figuring that the London scene was open to R&B music, the Wigs moved to England. They found a scene overrun with ambitious and talented musicians. Out of money, two of the members returned to Texas. Boz decided to travel, living the vagabond life in western Europe. Early in 1965, after traveling throughout Denmark, France and Spain, Boz ended up in Stockholm, Sweden where he remained for the next couple of years. After a few fruitless jobs, Boz sustained himself as a curbside troubadour, singing for tips, singing the songs he learned from the radio back in Texas. It is in Stockholm that Boz recorded his first album, 1965's Boz. After a trip home for Christmas in 1966, Boz headed for India, still wanting to further explore the "bum scene". He ended up back in Stockholm where he found work with various bands playing mostly jazz and blues. In August, Boz received a postcard from San Francisco. His friend Steve Miller had formed a successful band and invited Boz to join them as a second guitar and vocalist. Boz arrived in San Francisco in the midst of the Summer of Love. The Steve Miller Blues Band soon recorded a breakthrough debut album, Children Of the Future, followed with another epic of the age, Sailor. Boz penned and sang lead on songs like "Baby's Calling Me Home", "Steppin' Stone", "Overdrive" and 'Dime A Dance Romance". In the semi-autobiography "Bill Graham Presents", David Rubinson admits, "I watched these San Francisco Bands play blues that they couldn't play. But Steve Miller, Sons of Champlin and Moby Grape were staggering bands. Because they completely had their own stuff". Boz's stint with the band only lasted about a year, ending when he set out on a solo career. Signing with Atlantic Records, Boz chose Muscle Shoals, Alabama to record his US debut, Boz Scaggs. Backed by the infamous Muscle Shoals musicians, and joined by Duane Alman, the album is best known for the blues drenched, extended play "Loan Me a Dime". After only limited sales, Boz signed with Columbia. In 1970 released Moments, followed by 1971's Boz Scaggs and Band and My Time in 1972. In each case most of the songs were written by Scaggs, songs that today shine in their test of time. His poetic lyrics and smooth production were popular with his many fans, but the albums never sold well. 1974's Slow Dancer proved to be a turning point in Boz's reputation and style. Performing in front of a 30 piece orchestra, Boz would present his soulful style from atop a stool dressed in a dinner jacket and crisp slacks. His arrangements had left behind the country and had moved up to the big city. But it wasn't until 1976's Silk Degrees that Boz realized the fame and recognition he had coveted for so many years. Songs like "Lowdown" and "Lido Shuffle", the former earning him a Grammy Award, propelled sales to more than 4 million albums. The next year, Boz followed with the platinum selling Down Two Then Left, driven by songs like "Hard Times" and "1993". The backing band for these last two albums would go on to achieve their own fame as Toto. By 1980, Boz's music was in the mainstream of American popular music. Boz released Middle Man , which hit over a million in sales and had two Top 20 hits, "Jojo" and "Breakdown Dead Ahead". It is about this time that Boz wrote and performed "Look What You've Done For Me" for the movie, Urban Cowboy. In a recent concert, Boz told of how the studio gave him one day to write and record this song, an amazing feat considering the results. He also wrote and recorded "Miss Sun" with Lisa Dal Bello, a bonus track for his Hits compilation that came out in 1980, selling well as a single. Both songs have become standards in his performances today. In 1980, tired of the scrutiny and pressure of fame, Boz Scaggs simply dropped out of the music business, spending more time with his sons and developing some special projects. He would open the Blue Light Café and the nightclub, Slim's, in San Francisco. Boz continued to play music in his home studio and at guest appearances about town. Boz released Other Roads in 1988. The searing song "Heart of Mine" would return his name to the Top 40 once again. In 1991, he teamed up with Donald Fagan's New York Rock & Soul review, performing songs like "Drowning in a Sea of Love". Boz was later signed by Virgin Records. His first release on the new label, Some Change (1994), with elegant and sophisticated compositions like "Sierra" and "Fly Like a Bird", marked the emergence of a mature and confident Boz Scaggs.

Biography: Boz Scaggs

(b William Ross Scaggs, 8 June '44, OH) Blues/rock singer, tending to blue-eyed soul. Grew up in Texas, joined schoolmate Steve Miller's band the Marksmen as vocalist, joined him again in the Ardells at the U of Wisconsin in Madison, but quit, returned to Texas to play R&B with the Wigs '63. They relocated to Europe, broke up (remnants Bob Arthur, bass; John Andrews, guitar, became Mother Earth); he stayed on to tour as folksinger, made LP Boz in Stockholm '65 for Polydor. Returned to San Francisco to rejoin Miller, but quit after two LPs, now a more than competent songwriter/guitarist; one band couldn't hold them both. Boz Scaggs '69 appeared on Atlantic due to patronage of Rolling Stone editor Jann Wenner: Duane Allman's solo on lengthy 'Loan Me A Dime' was acclaimed, but Muscle Shoals sidemen played important parts. Switched to Columbia for Moments and Boz Scaggs And His Band, both prod. '72 by Glyn Johns, the former much more impressive. My Time '72 reintroduced Muscle Shoals sidemen alongside his band: drummer George Rains (ex-Mother Earth), bassist David Brown, Joachim Young on keyboards; Slow Dancer '74 was produced by Motown's Johnny Bristol, showed heavy soul influence; Bristol's 'I Got Your Number' a perennial stage staple from this set. Silk Degrees '76 refined the approach, was a commercial apogee at no. 2 US LP chart; 'Lowdown', 'What Can I Say', 'Lido Shuffle' were all hits USA/UK, beautiful 'We're All Alone' was a hit for Rita Coolidge, who'd sung backing vocals on the first two CBS LPs. Smooth Down Two, Then Left '77 disappointed, but Middle Man '80 was back in top ten LPs, made singles chart USA with 'Breakdown Dead Ahead', 'Jojo', 'Miss Sun', 'Look What You've Done To Me'. Same year saw hits compilation and a contribution to Urban Cowboy soundtrack. He retired to raise two sons, one of those musicians who didn't need to do it if he didn't feel like it; came back with Some Change '94 (accent on his languid guitar playing), then Fade Into Light (a jamboree bag of new versions of best-known songs, available only in Japan), and Come On Home '97 on Virgin, back in the groove. Two-CD My Time '97 on Columbia compiled 33 tracks of suave-rock 1969--87.

Links:

• Boz Scaggs - Short Biography for R&B artist Boz Scaggs

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