Shirley Scott, a fan of Jimmy Smith’s seminal work, has been a prominent representative of the organ since the late ’50s. Scott is a melodic, accessible pianist who started on the piano. She also played trumpet in highschool before moving to Hammond B-3. In the late 1950s, she enjoyed national recognition for her Prestige dates with Eddie Lockjaw Davis, tenor sax legend. Their 1958 hit, “In the Kitchen”, was a huge success. Her reputation was solidified during the 1960s on several soulful organ/soul jazz dates. She displayed an aggressive rhythmic attack that blended intricate bebop harmonys with bluesy melodies, and a gospel influence. All of this was punctuated with great use the bass pedals. Scott married Stanley Turrentine, a soul-jazz tenor. They often recorded together in the ’60s. Scott and Turrentine remained together until the early 1970s. Their musical collaborations of the 1960s were some of the best in the industry. Scott was less prominent in the ’10th century, as organ combos became less popular and labels were more interested fusion and jazz (though she did record albums for Chess/Cadet or Strata East). In the late 1980s, organists gained popularity again which led to Scott recording for Muse. Scott is best known for her organ playing but she is also a great pianist. In the 1990s, Scott played only piano on some trio recordings for Candid and continued to play the piano in Philly jazz venues throughout the decade. Scott suffered a heart attack from the diet drug combination fenphen at the end of her ’90s. This led to her declining health. In 2000, she received $8 million as a result of a lawsuit against the drug’s manufacturers. She died from heart failure on March 10, 2002 at the Presbyterian Hospital in Philadelphia. All music
