Jimmy Scott

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Jimmy Scott (July 17, 1925 in Cleveland) is an American jazz vocalist.

Scott has Kallmann's syndrome, a genetic condition which stunted his growth at five feet and prevented him reaching puberty, leaving him with a high, undeveloped soprano voice.

However it was his extraordinary phrasing and romantic feeling that made him a favorite singer of fellow artists like Billie Holiday, Ray Charles, Dinah Washington, and Nancy Wilson.

Scott was born to Authur and Justine Scott in a family of ten. As a child he got his first singing experience in a church choir. At thirteen, he was orphaned when his mother was killed in a car accident.

Scott first rose to national prominence as Little Jimmy Scott in the Lionel Hampton Band when he sang lead on the late 1940s hit "Everybody's Somebody's Fool". Scott's career faded by the late 1960s and he returned to his native Cleveland to work in a hospital and as an elevator operator in a hotel.

He resurfaced in 1991 when he sang at the funeral of his long-time friend Doc Pomus. Afterwards Lou Reed recruited him to sing back-up on the track "Power and Glory" on his album 1992 album Magic and Loss, partially inspired by Pomus' death. Afterwards, Scott was seen on the series finale of David Lynch's show Twin Peaks, singing "Sycamore Trees." He was featured on the soundtrack of the follow-up film Fire Walk With Me. This brought him to the attention of the music industry and he has enjoyed significant success since then, singing and recording.