Pop success was something new for singer-songwriter Andy Scott when his 1998 single "Great Life" landed in a feature film. Andy enjoyed the financial rewards that come with being on a major label, but his fame under the stage name "Goat" was fleeting. Andy Scott is back with a new album that now has the jazz world buzzing.
Andy Scott's loftier rock and roll days may be behind him but he hasn't lost his touch for writing a fine melody. On "Rainy Day," from his Don't Tempt Fate album, Andy almost relishes the melancholy of a dark and gloomy day.
Despite some ups and downs, Andy has always looked on the bright side. His competitive streak comes from his father, former major league baseball star Al Rosen. Although Al was already retired by the time Andy was born in Cleveland, Ohio, Rosen remained a guiding force. When his father accepted an executive position with the New York Yankees, Andy decided to go along.
"I followed a couple of weeks behind him, drove the family German Shepherd [dog] across the country, and dropped her off at Yankee Stadium. That was kind of cool," he recalls.
Andy stayed in New York hoping to break into the music business. When he finally earned a recording contract with his song "Great Life," he reactivated his long lost nickname. Andy explains it was a moniker bestowed upon him by teenaged acquaintances who witnessed his unfortunate encounter with a goat.
"They dared me to get into a corral and pet an un-tethered goat, and I did, and then the goat proceeded to knock me every which way," he explains. "And I went home and my dad wanted to know what happened, and I told him. I told him the worst thing is now they're teasing me and calling me 'Goat.'"
Andy's "Great Life" took on a life of its own, appearing in the film I Know What You Did Last Summer, and later in a national television commercial for a major automobile maker.
Dropping "Goat" for his first and middle name, Andy Scott has returned to doing what he does best, singing, playing electric piano and guitar, and composing songs with an infectious rhythm.
"I like being generous with the beat when you can," he says, "and we tried to get this swing thing happening off of the acoustic guitar. The acoustic guitar is just playing straight through it, really nice and easy with an even tone while everything else is moving around it, and it kind of creates a tension."
Andy's new album features several notable session musicians, as well as rising vocal star Madeleine Peyroux on the title song, "Don't Tempt Fate."
News
