If there are no second acts in American lives, as F. Scott Fitzgerald said, for some musicians at least, there's a second take. After famed recording sessions in the late 1950s that made him popular, Jimmy Scott's unique vocal style was not heard again on a new recording for some 30 years. Then, in the 1990s, Scott returned to the studio once more to record his individual style of jazz ballads and acquire a new generation of devoted fans.
Scott's career started out all right. Like many performers of the pre-World War II era, he left his hometown, Cleveland, at a young age, 17, and traveled the "chitlin' circuit" of mainly African-American theaters that dotted the South. Scott toured this circuit for years, honing his singing skills in the company of performers who did everything from burlesque to Shakespeare, all set to jazz and blues.
But then, in the postwar, pop-culture heyday of the late '50s, an unscrupulous record company owner signed the young star to an exploitative contract. After a handful of recordings, Scott would not have a new release again until 1992.