Jimmy Scott “If I Ever Lost You” (From the LP “The Fabulous Songs of Jimmy Scott,” 1960)

He never garnered the consistent crossover success that his peers did in those transition years between Jazz and Blues birthing soul. Nevertheless, Jimmy Scott’s passionate and peculiar vocal stylings decidedly had an influence on the way male vocalists conveyed rich emotions in the Post-War era, especially in the realm of R&B Music.

I had the great fortune of stumbling across Lackawanna Blues as I searched for Saturday Night entertainment. Once again, the tenor that could deliver a knockout sidelined me for a bit as I took in the pitch perfect blend of late 50’s Pop/R&B/Jazz ethos that this album track provides.

Going along with the theme of that movie, of People of Color celebrating and finding joy and love among the limitations of the world rang super poignant as a bookend to another week of life on this planet. Scott’s unique voice was due to the fact that he had Kallmann’s Syndrome, which prevented him from ever reaching puberty. Despite it all, it left him with a remarkably poignant quality that seared and sizzled through even mock pop settings like this recording. With a crisp vibrato not unlike Dinah Washington and a masterful skill for dissecting the emotions in a lyric, it would mean Jimmy Scott would be a force to reckon with up until his death last year.