Starting out at age 12 in her
hometown Detroit, singing for local Baptist congregations, singer Rena Scott
entered her first major talent contest at age 13. Soon afterwards came her very first recording
"I Just Can't Forget That Boy", while still in high school. She
blossomed as a performer, and began playing two or three gigs a night on
weekends at local nightclubs.
She opened for many of the Motown acts like The
Temptations, The Four Tops, The Originals and many other popular artists. When
the "Queen of Soul" Aretha Franklin (also a native Detroiter) needed
a third backup singer for a few gigs, the then 18 year old Scott got her
million-to-one shot at singing on stage with her idol at the Pine Knob Ski
Resort in Northern Michigan, and more importantly, in front of thousands at
Carnegie Hall!
In those days, I patterned my own singing
after her". Scott then started
working to develop her own style as she listened to other artists like Patti
Labelle, Gladys Knight, and Barbra Streisand. She emerged with a unique sound.
Having had that one night experience at Carnegie, Scott vowed she would return
there someday to perform.
Scott began recording and/or touring
with such greats as The Jazz Crusaders, David Ruffin, Bobby Womack, and Michael
Henderson (with whom she recorded the smash hit "Take Me I'm Yours"
from Henderson's album "In The Nighttime" in 1979).
With her growing years of experience
and popularity, Scott wowed many thousands in other places; first the
nightclubs in Detroit, then later in Los Angeles. She toured in the 80's with
The Crusaders, and came on board with founding Crusaders members Joe Sample,
Wilton Felder and Stix Hooper after the departure of Randy Crawford, performing
their 1979 pop hit "Street Life" performing for crowds of up to
50,000 people, touring top R & B and Jazz festivals in the U.S. and Europe
that included the famous Montrose Jazz Festival in Montrose Switzerland..
After a handful of years away from
the stage, Scott reunited with R&B singer Michael Henderson, for rousing
performances at the famed Long Beach Jazz Festival; Milwaukee's United We Funk
Festival; and the Lithonia Jazz Festival outside of Atlanta. The two received
thunderous ovations from audiences who time-tripped on the performance of their
million-seller "Take Me I'm Your’s".
While she's always made her living
singing in clubs, singing backup, performing with legendary figures and doing
jingles for companies like Levi's 501 Jeans and Sunny Delight, the stop and
start nature of Scott's own solo recording career has made for an intense
emotional roller coaster. After touring with Henderson on the strength of their
hit single “Take Me I’m Your’s” in 1978, Henderson's record company Buddha
Records signed her to a record deal. She recorded the half disco, half R&B
ballad album titled `Come On Inside'. The album was produced by the powerhouse
R&B team Mtume and Reggie Lucas, former jazz musicians who had scored pop
hits for Stephanie Mills, Roberta Flack & Donnie Hathaway, Phyllis Hyman
and Lou Rawls.
After the record company folded, she
left Detroit for a short pit stop in Las Vegas where she did shows at Caesar's
Palace and the Landmark Hotel. She then decided to settle in Los Angeles to
seek new recording opportunities. Before hooking up with The Crusaders, she had
started writing songs with veteran producer and songwriter Skip Scarborough who
wrote songs for LTD, Anita Baker, Earth, Wind & Fire and many other artists.
In 1989 Scott re-emerged on Sedona Records with the album `Love Zone', from
which the first single "Do That To Me One More Time" hit the
Billboard R&B Singles chart. The follow-up "I Could Use A Kiss",
which became her first video, also received extensive airplay.
Soon after, she once again fell
victim to label traumas. There were three failed deals in all before Scott
started a fruitful long-term business relationship with songwriter/producer
Lloyd Tolbert, and emerged with her own independent label, Amor Records. Her
label debut album, `Let Me Love You', distributed by KES Distribution,
showcased Scott on the sultry title track as right at home; singing soulfully
about that first spark of romance. Yet the seductive invitation taps into
something much deeper, reflecting the passion of her relationship to audiences
worldwide over a fascinating musical lifetime. That same track "Let Me
Love You" was featured in two key scenes of the HBO Cinemax film `Love and
Action in Chicago', starring Courtney Vance, Regina King, Kathleen Turner and
Ed Asner.
Says Scott, "My husband Curtis
has been so supportive through all my ups and downs; and he was the one who
pushed me to do this myself and give it everything I have. Years of rejection
had depressed me, but I always knew I would come back strong and put everything
into it. It is an emotional and financial risk, but it is worth it. Who better
to invest in you than yourself?
I am ok with who I am and I am back to stay. I
can use my story to inspire others whose dreams are as vast as mine."
Although music and the launch of
Amor Records have taken priority in Scott's creative world, she eventually
plans to write a book and maybe even make a movie about her life. The musical
trials and tribulations, as well as the triumphs, have been shadowed her whole
life by some dark early years in Detroit. Rena’s parent's difficult marriage
and witnessing domestic violence against her mother, Scott as a little girl
would sing and cry to take the pain away. Music was her outlet, and it continues
to be an important part of her emotional and spiritual survival. She places her
trust and faith in God. Rena is now an advocate against domestic violence. She
speaks about the profound affect it had on her life in hopes that she can help
someone else.
"The songs on `Let Me Love You'
reflects my growth through mine and other experiences. "All of these
songs, `A Love Thang,' `Remember,' `Good To Me, tell the story of life and
love. There are good and bad times. Life is a onetime journey that should be
filled with lots of love. These are the things I'm passionate about, and the
things I'll continue to write and sing about."
Rena’s CD "Take Me Away"
was released October 26th 2010. The 13-song set contains songs that
Scott co-wrote and co-produced with Tolbert. It includes covers of some of her
all-time favorites like "Dr. Feelgood" and "Don't Ask My
Neighbors".
Rena is excited to work with
Producer Lloyd Tolbert once again as well as two incredible producers Herb
Middleton. She has just to release her
new Single “Can’t Wait” Scott is gifted with the talent, the drive, and the
passion to continue rising to the top!
Website: www.renascott.net
Email address: www.rena.scott29@gmail.com
Facebook Site: www.facebook.com/singer.renascott
Twitter Site: www.twitter.com/renascott
Myspace Site: www.myspace.com/renascott
(909) 632-3606
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