Newmarket Town Crier - June 18, 1997
Newmarket Born Musician Pays Tribute to
Rock 'N' Roll Legend
By Laura Morrison
When it comes to legendary performances, Newmarket native Jeff Scott is a pro. Scott, the son of former Regional Councillor Bob Scott, portrays rock legend Buddy Holly as part of a tribute show at Rock 'n' Roll Heaven in downtown Toronto. Don't call him an impersonator, however. "I approach it more like an actor, getting into a role," he explains.
Scott's musical roots date back to his days at Huron Heights Secondary School when he and some friends started a band, Silent Echo. Scott went on to study music at Humber College, graduating in 1989.
The following year, he auditioned for "Buddy," a Buddy Holly musical that played the Royal Alex. He didn't land the leading role, but did end up portraying the '50s singer in tribute shows in Las Vegas.
Scott says he has been interested in Holly since he was 12 years old and his parents took him to see the, movie, The Buddy Holly Story. "He always kind of struck a chord with me...and the music is great,"
Scott hadn't even been born when Holly's first record, That Will Be The Day, turned the music world upside down in May of 1957. In the year and a half that followed, Holly recorded dozens of songs, many of which were released after his tragic death in a plane crash in February of 1959.
The brevity of Holly's career made it difficult to research the singer, Scott says. "The tricky thing is that there's very little (available), even in terms photos."
He managed to obtain clips from an Ed Sullivan show on which Holly had appeared. The music itself is also a great source of inspiration, he says. "I listen to the music and try to draw on the songs themselves...Because he was a bit of a mystery, it leaves a little more open to interpretation."
The tribute show in which Scott performs also includes actors/musicians portraying other musical greats such as John Lennon, Roy Orbison, Otis Redding and Ritchie Valens. Our show is like a tribute to the stars who have passed away...It's more like recreating an era."
Portraying another individual can be a bit overwhelming at
times, Scott admits. "It's pretty weird. You almost have to lose yourself in the
character when you're up
there on stage."
Luckily, he doesn't have difficulty becoming Jeff Scott again once he's out of the footlights. "I try to keep busy doing other things musically (outside of the show)."
Scott took his role to the recently when CHUM radio celebrated its 40th anniversary. Part of Yonge Street was closed for the event, which featured appearances by Buddy Holly, Elvis Presley and other musical greats. Scott notes that CHUM was founded in 1957, the same year that Holly's musical career was born.
Discussing his role as Buddy Holly, Scott says, "What I
hope to accomplish is to raise it back to a level of being more than just a
cliché, to remind people why he was famous in the first place, which was his
great music and (the fact that) he was a great performer."