Boz Scaggs
By All Music Guide
By All Music Guide
In 1963 Scaggs returned to Dallas alone, fronting an R&B unit dubbed the Wigs; after relocating to England, the group promptly disbanded, and two of its members -- John Andrews and Bob Arthur -- soon formed Mother Earth. Scaggs remained in Europe, singing on street corners; in Sweden he recorded a failed solo LP, 1965s Boz, before returning to the U.S. two years later. Upon settling in San Francisco, he reunited with Miller, joining the fledgling Steve Miller Band; after recording two acclaimed albums with the group, Children of the Future and Sailor, Scaggs exited in 1968 to mount a solo career.
With the aid of Rolling Stone magazine publisher Jann Wenner, Scaggs secured a contract with Atlantic. Sporting a cameo from Duane Allman, 1968s soulful Boz Scaggs failed to find an audience despite winning critical favor; the track Loan Me a Dime later became the subject of a court battle when bluesman Fenton Robinson sued (successfully) for composer credit. After signing to Columbia, Scaggs teamed with producer Glyn Johns to record 1971s Moments, a skillful blend of rock and R&B which, like its predecessor, failed to make much of an impression on the charts.
Scaggs remained a critics darling over the course of LPs like 1972s My Time and 1974s Slow Dancer, but he did not achieve a commercial breakthrough until 1976s Silk Degrees, which reached number two on the album charts while spawning the Top Three single Lowdown, as well as the smash Lido Shuffle. 1977s Down Two Then Left was also a success, and 1980s Middle Man reached the Top Ten on the strength of the singles Breakdown Dead Ahead and Jo Jo.
However, Scaggs spent much of the 1980s in retirement, owning and operating the San Francisco nightclub Slims and limiting his performances primarily to the clubs annual black-tie New Years Eve concerts. Finally, in 1988 he resurfaced with the album Other Roads, followed three years later by a tour with Donald Fagens Rock and Soul Revue. The solo Some Change appeared in 1994, with Come on Home and My Time: The Anthology (1969-1997) both released in 1997. The newly energized Scaggs spent the next few years consistantly releasing new material including Heres the Low Down, Fade into Light, Dig and a collection of standards called But Beautiful.
