by Jeannie Naujeck, “Nashville Bureau Chief”
I first saw Darrell Scott a couple of years ago at Cumberland Caverns near Nashville. He was playing a Bluegrass Underground concert on a bill that also included Justin Townes Earle. That’s who I had gone to see but, to me, Darrell Scott stole the show with his passionate singing and presence. I couldn’t even make out the words to his songs but his presence was so compelling I had to find out more about him. Once I did, I realized he is a master of the craft and one of the most brilliant songwriters in Nashville. Then, I found out Darrell was touring with Patty Griffin and Buddy Miller in Robert Plant’s Band of Joy – and I wondered how on earth I had not discovered him before.
Darrell may not be a household name but if you want to know how good he is, just look at the company he keeps – Guy Clark, Tim O’Brien, Patty Griffin, Rodney Crowell all appear on his latest album, Long Ride Home, which is a tribute to the country music he grew up with. The album was recorded at Darrell’s house and you can hear how much fun the musicians had playing *real* instruments – an upright bass, an upright piano – on raucous songs like “Hopkinsville.” But what really stands out is Darrell’s writing … how he portrays the angst of watching an ex-love with someone else in “Dance in the Darkness” in just a few perfectly-chosen words.
“I saw the curtain move, I saw the hand that pulled the shade
And in a moment the lights went out and a radio began to play
And I crossed the empty street with the window in my view
But I couldn’t see through to watch them dance in the darkness”
No one discusses the album and the songs better than Darrell himself. Click here to read his self-written bio.
You can also find out more about Darrell’s dad, Wayne Scott, who always wanted to be a country singer and songwriter and named all of his five sons starting with the letter D so they could one day possibly form a family band. At age 71, Wayne Scott put out his first album with Darrell’s help. As Darrell says, he was “the real deal.” Sadly, he passed away in an accident in December, but his talent lives on in his son. If this is the first time you’ve heard of Darrell Scott, you’re in for a real treat.