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 Wayne Scott - This Weary Way This has been a long time coming----an album of original songs by, my dad - Wayne Scott. Growing up on a tobacco farm in Crane's Nest, Kentucky in the 30's and 40's, the eleventh of thirteen children, four themes fill his stories- work, family, church and music-probably in that order. He tells of a sacred tree that he would climb as a boy to escape whatever heat he was in at home, or to reflect on the end of a long workday, or a place to question god and love, or to sing for the first time on his own, away from the fields, the house or porch singing, playing and working with his family- alone in his sacred tree. I imagine that tree to be the place where he put his first poems and songs together-giving voice to what he'd process between Southern Baptist church music and the Grand Ole Opry. I imagine that tree is where he started a dream of being a country music artist. He was and is a country music artist. He'd sing and write his songs in the closet while working car factories in Dearborn, Michigan through the 50's. He'd sing and write while working steel mills of Gary, Indiana through the 60's or installing chain link fences in Southern California through the 70's- this is time measured in decades, folks. Five children, all boys, were born from '53 to '68. At times he worked 3 jobs (remember those themes: work, family, church and music?). While music was down the list of priorities, he inspired all of his boys with music. It took me until nearly adulthood to realize those great songs he'd sing at home were not all Hank Williams'- they were his songs influenced by Hank, Johnny Cash and Merle Haggard. (can you name 3 more influential country artists to be influenced by?) By the mid 70's, with the boys grown or nearly, he did step out and play music in honky tonks, truck stop bars, bowling alley lounges, mexican restaurants, taverns and dives from Alaska to New Mexico, but mostly Southern California. But, never... never doing his own songs. The bars had become another version of "working for the man"- the car-plant foreman, the steel mill boss, or the nightclub owner- music to keep people drinking and dancing, by performing country standards and songs of the country radio playlist. My brothers and I played with him at that time. (I was 14- I learned to play lead guitar and pedal steel by playing with him 5 sets a night) His own songs stayed in the closet, for the most part, until now. This recording may be a proud and thankful son helping to document his father's lifework- it is both the least and most that I could do. and This recording may be the documenting of one of the most authentic country artists you've never heard. You be the judge. He is 71 now. He doesn't understand why we have done this recording. Maybe you will. If you do, tell him. - Darrell Scott When I was about seven years old, I was going back to school. I came home for lunch. I could make it if I ran fast, both ways and ate fast, I was good at both of them back then. On the way back, I saw this ditch about 4 ft. deep. Nothing in it so I got an idea. I had always heard of ditching school, so I jumped in the ditch. In my state of mind I had to stay there all afternoon. If I came out, Mom could see me from home, neighbors could see me in another direction and the school, yet another. I was pinned down. The only thing that happened the whole afternoon: an old lady came looking for her cow, late in the afternoon. She would yell “sook heifer, sook heifer”. She kept getting louder, and louder and closer. I thought sure she was coming to me. Anyway, she missed by about 20 ft. Somehow I finally got to high school. The best part of it was getting back to ditching school. I would go into the woods there on school property and try my best to write songs. It was so pretty, the wind, the birds. I could tell when the class was over, or the ball game was over. I was near and so far away. I was about 30 years old before I figured out I should keep these songs. There's an old joke that always guided me about my songs (an old maid about as old as I am now, HA!) said when she was a lot younger she tried sex one time and decided it wasn't worth a damn; so, she'd just be an old maid. That was me with my songs. Other than my sons, I didn't want to bother anybody with them. Since I am not a teacher, I can say it my way. We are full of songs and stories. If we don't write them, they won't be written. Don't go anywhere without your pen. I still carry mine. Don't be like me and that old maid. This brings it down to the biggest dream of it all. Just listen to Darrell and his best friends here. I can still see each and everyone of them in the next booth or on their mike. Thanks son and everybody in here. - Wayne Scott
Tim O’Brien appears courtesy of Sugar Hill Records Casey Driessen appears courtesy of Sugar Hill Records Verlon Thompson appears courtesy of VNS Records Cover and back photos by Senor McGuire Inside photos by Wayne’s family |
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