Rock My World Canada, chapter 126: Jack Scott
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Jack Scott (born Giovanni Domenico Scafone, Jr., January 24, 1936 – December 12, 2019) was a Canadian American singer and songwriter. He was inducted into Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2011 and was called “undeniably the greatest Canadian rock and roll singer of all time.”
He grew up listening to hillbilly music and was taught to play the guitar by his mother Laura. As a teenager, he pursued a singing career and recorded as ‘Jack Scott.’ At the age of 18, he formed the Southern Drifters. After leading the band for three years, he signed to ABC- Paramount Records as a solo artist in 1957.
After recording two good-selling local hits for ABC- Paramount in 1957, he switched to the Carlton record label and had a double-sided national hit in 1958 with “Leroy” (#11) / “My True Love” (#3). The record sold over one million copies, earning Scott his first gold disc. Later in 1958, “With Your Love” (#28) reached the Top 40. In all, six of 12 songs on his first album became hit singles. On most of these tracks, he was backed up by the vocal group, the Chantones.
Jack Scott died from congestive heart failure on December 12, 2019 in Warren, Michigan.
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