Biography Scott is where high lonesome meets the crossroads of the cattle drive and the two-lane highway.
Born and raised in Cody, Wyoming, Scott was instilled with a deep love of the land and nature by his parents. “I was one of the lucky ones, let loose to roam the wilds of Wyoming.” Not many people have the opportunity to chase cutthroat trout with a fly, blue grouse with a .22, and ride horseback to the most remote section of wilderness in the lower 48 states – all before the age of 10.
Scott has spent the past two decades writing and performing western music at major festivals such as the Elko Cowboy Gathering and the prestigious Cowboy Songs and Range Ballads. With a love for the land, its work, and the music, it all started while sharing songs of the west while working on guest ranches in the high Rocky Mountains of Wyoming. Singing the classics left Scott with a desire to write and perform his own songs crafted with the sincerity of the Rocky Mountain West.
It’s hard to argue the best songs may have already been written, but to Scott, it’s more than just trying to write a great song. "The stories are often the same, love, death, and other life struggles. But everyday our world changes, and it’s that same change offers a new adventure and opportunity to craft a fresh story with lyrics". Scott draws inspiration from modern greats like Chris LeDoux, Ian Tyson, and Brenn Hill, while staying honest to the timeless classics of Marty Robbins, Gene Autry, and Flatt and Scruggs.
Still, it’s the roots; the same great artists just mentioned that make Scott grab his guitar and pick a melody, after all "You have to know where you have been to know where you are going". Scotts first recorded music release, LIVE AT THE 7D, provides a snapshot of life in Western Wyoming…old and new.
Autobiography
My Mom and Dad gave me a Harmony guitar for Christmas one year. I couldn’t have been more than 11 years old. But that guitar soon became another object in the clutter of my room which collected dust. I still regret that, during those precious few years when I had time to kill, I did not take music serious. I may not have perfected my scales up the guitar neck, but I did kick around this wonderland that is Wyoming, exploring it with my friends and family.
I didn’t grow up on a cattle ranch, nor do I make my living in the agriculture industry. In a way I’m relieved, it would be a tremendous amount of pressure to be a fourth generation outfit in these economic times. I have, however, lived a parallel life with my ranching and farming friends. We care deeply about the same things; open spaces, wildlife, and our western way of life we enjoy. I spent virtually every summer of my high school and college years working on guest ranches. At a tender age I began working for the Dominick family on the 7D Ranch northwest of Cody in Sunlight Basin. It is still one of my favorite places on this earth. Milking cows, slopping hogs, chopping wood, irrigating, and wrangling builds character not to mention forearm muscle.
When I moved on to college, a change was in order, and I had an opportunity to wrangle for Glen and Alice Fales at the Rimrock Ranch. Those were the “good old days” as they say. I was paid to work with some excellent horsemen and packers, like my dear friend William “Cort” Feeley. It was at this time that I began to feel the need to make music, to express myself through song, especially to an audience (I never met a microphone I didn’t like). On Sundays a new group of guests would arrive at the ranch. After dinner we would meet with them, make horse assignments for the week, and then have a little “show” welcoming them to the ranch. Most often this would include a song or two, including Glen’s favorite song, My Heroes have always been Cowboys.
Once the Fales’ learned that I knew a couple chords on the guitar, and was a self proclaimed singer, they thrust me in front of guests during the weekly Saturday night concert. They paid those of us who sang a little extra for our “talents”, and Alice even fronted me money to upgrade to a new guitar. She said she would just withhold the money from the next summer’s wages, which she never did. Thank you Alice.
Music
I am pulled in many directions musically. The best way to describe the music I like to listen to is good music - if the music is good I listen. Good music to me comes from a wide spectrum; modern pop and rock, blues, jazz, singer-songwriter, old country and some modern country. But its acoustic Americana roots music like bluegrass and western folk where I feel I belong. I always seem to fall directly back into what is comfortable, known. Western folk and cowboy songs feel like home. My ideal band would consist of an upright bass, a mandolin, a guitar and a dobro. Tune those instruments into a classic like Kent Lewis’ Song of Wyoming and I believe you may find heaven. Sure, I know I’m not breaking new ground here, just trying to find my place in the vast array of music available in this digital age.
Perhaps you will find something, maybe something small, in my music that you won’t find elsewhere. That’s my hope. I would be honored if you found a place on your ipod, hard disk, or CD player for my music. Thank you for the time you spent visiting my web page, and please check back soon. I will be posting new music as it becomes available, and will keep you up to date with my newsletter if you would be so kind to sign the guest book. I can’t wait to see you again or meet you for the first time down the trail.
Thank you,
Scott
