Edwards, Scott (19??-2022)

Bassist from Atlanta, Georgia, who could play the trombone at five years of age, but gravitated to the electric bass when he was eighteen. Stevie Wonder hired him to play bass in his band in 1970, and their collaboration spanned three years. Scott appeared on Stevie’s albums, Innervisions, Original Musiquarium, and Talking Book. One of his last live performances with Stevie took place at Winterland in San Francisco, California, on 3^rd March 1973. Shortly thereafter, he relocated to Los Angeles, where he became a major force in Tinseltown’s burgeoning studio scene.

A few of the hits on which he performed include “Bad Girls” and “Hot Stuff” by Donna Summer, “Being With You by Smokey Robinson, “Do That To Me One More Time” by Captain & Tennille, “Ease on Down the Road” from The Wiz with Michael Jackson and Diana Ross, “If I Can’t Have You” by Yvonne Elliman, “I Will Survive” by Gloria Gaynor, “Love Machine” by The Miracles, “More Love” by Kim Carnes, “More Than a Woman” by Tavares, “Nadia’s Theme” by Barry DeVorzon, “Rhinestone Cowboy” by Glen Campbell, “Rich Girl”, “Sara Smile” and “She’s Gone” by Hall & Oates, “Shake Your Groove Thing” by Peaches and Herb, “Too Much, Too Little, Too Late” by Johnny Mathis & Deniece Williams, “You Are the Sunshine of My Life” by Stevie Wonder and “Young Hearts Run Free” by Candi Staton.

His discography is far too extensive to list in its entirety, but here are some highlights: Baby, It’s Me by Diana Ross; Bad Girls by Donna Summer; Beauty on a Back Street, Bigger Than the Both of Us and Daryl Hall & John Oates by Hall & Oates; The Best of Earl Klugh, Vol. 1; Black Bach and Right There by Lamont Dozier; Bloodline and Rhinestone Cowboy by Glen Campbell; Blue Valentine by Tom Waits; Cheryl Ladd; City of Angels by The Miracles; Come in from the Rain by Captain & Tennille; Down Two Then Left and Silk Degrees by Boz Scaggs; Flash Harry by Harry Nilsson; Gypsy Honeymoon: The Best of Kim Carnes; Hard Core Poetry, In the City, Love Storm, and Sky High! by Tavares; Help Me Rhonda and New Lovers and Old Friends by Johnny Rivers; King Size by B.B. King; Leo Sayer; Let’s Get Serious by Jermaine Jackson; Love at First Sight by Dionne Warwick; Love Me by Yvonne Elliman; Meeting of the Minds by The Four Tops; My Own Way to Rock by Burton Cummings; Oh, Julie! by Barry Manilow; Out of Payne Comes Love and Payne & Pleasure by Freda Payne; Pastiche by The Manhattan Transfer; Rod Stewart; Saturday Night Fever; Smokey’s Family Robinson by Smokey Robinson; Sweet Passion by Aretha Franklin and Syreeta.

As you can see, there was a time when Scott was almost ubiquitous. One night he found himself watching the Grammys and came to realize that he had played on three of the winning songs. In the 2010s he was still laying down bass lines for industrial films.

He passed away in 2022.

Johnny Mathis & Deniece Williams recordings
Emotion (Barry Gibb /Robin Gibb )
S CBS 6164B (UK 45)
Too Much, Too Little, Too Late (Nat Kipner /John Vallins )
S CBS 6164 (UK 45)

He performs here with Stevie Wonder…

Sources:

Edwards, Scott (19??-2022)

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