Boz Scaggs (Born 08/06/1944)

After playing with Steve Miller for a while (contributing songs of the quality of 'Dear Mary' on "Sailor") he left the band around 1968 and the following year released his superb solo debut "Boz Scaggs". Recorded in Muscle Shoals, it featured the wonderful 'Loan Me A Dime' and the guitar work of Duane Allman - best remembered, if at all, for this track, the whole album is an eclectic mix of ballads, country and blues and is definitely worth searching out. A commercial failure, Atlantic subsequently dropped him but he resurfaced with Columbia and released the albums "Moments", "Boz Scaggs and Band" and "My Time", all recordings of real quality - listen to fine tracks such as 'Runnin' Blue', 'We Were Always Sweethearts', 'Near You' and the achingly sad 'Might Have To Cry'. All these early albums are wonderful examples of blue-eyed R&B and are of consistently high quality.

By 1974, Scaggs had hooked up with Johnny Bristol and the resulting "Slow Dancer" album was an interesting release - undeniably slick, perhaps too lushly textured, it was still full of wonderful performances from the man himself, whether on fine ballads such as 'Sail On White Moon' and the title track or up-tempo R&B such as Allen Toussaint's 'Hercules'. It undeniably paved the way for the commercial breakthrough "Silk Degrees" which featured a number of chart smashes, including 'It's Over', 'Lowdown', 'What Can I Say' and 'Lido Shuffle'. Follow-ups "Down Two Then Left" and "Middle Man" (1980) repeated the formula and Scaggs then packed it all in, quitting the business until 1988 and the release of the somewhat disappointing "Other Roads". In the meantime, he was proving there was life beyond the road and recording, opening restaurants and the roots 'n' rock club Slim's (still going today) and concentrating on the upbringing of his kids.

The 1992 New York Rock and Soul Revue got him interested again and in 1994 he produced the startlingly good comeback album "Some Change". This album contained some of Boz's best material, including the excellent title track and the ethereal, beautiful 'Sierra'.

1997 saw the release of "Come On Home", which is really where we came in! A tribute to the blues that influenced and shaped much of his music, it nevertheless sounds as fresh as a daisy - tributes to Bobby Bland, Jimmy Reed and T-Bone Walker sit alongside four fine originals and it's proof, if any is needed, of Scaggs enduring talent and good taste.
1997/8 produced the excellent 2CD anthology "My Time: A Boz Scaggs Anthology (1969- 1997)". Understandably, it draws heavily from his most successful period commercially, but the early stuff is fairly well represented. (Although the first album is criminally under-represented with only 'Loan Me A Dime' getting a look in). A fine representation of a wonderful talent and heartily recommended, the Primer still suggests that all those early albums especially are worth seeking out - they all stand up in their own right.