Scott was born in
Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania. Her father operated a jazz club in the basement of the family home and her brother played saxophone. At the age of eight, Scott began taking piano lessons. After enrolling at the
Philadelphia High School for Girls, where she was awarded a scholarship, Scott switched to playing trumpet and performed in the all-city schools band. As a performer in the 1950s, she played the
Hammond B-3 organ. Her recordings with
Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis included the hit "
In the Kitchen". Influenced by gospel and blues, she played
soul jazz in the 1960s with
Stanley Turrentine, who became her husband during the same decade; the couple divorced in 1971. Although organ trios declined in popularity during the 1970s, they resurged in the 1980s and she recorded again. In the 1990s, she recorded as pianist in a trio and performed at venues in Philadelphia.
As a band leader Scott's success in the industry led her to her own recording with
Prestige. Her first album as a bandleader was
Great Scott!, released in 1958. She performed with bassist
George Duvivier and drummer
Arthur Edghill, as the head of the trio. The album consisted of a mix of blues and soul tunes with covers such as of
Cole Porter's "
All of You", and Latin-influenced tunes and up-tempo burners and ballads with songs such as "
Brazil" and "Nothing Ever Changes My love For You". Other notable covers include
Ray Noble's "
Cherokee" and
Miles Davis's "
Four", and her own track "The Scott". Scott strategically chose to have a bassist in her recordings instead of a typical melodic instrument, to allow herself full freedom to explore the organ. Laying a bass foundation allowed her to stand out with the solo and melodic sections as an organist. Despite Scott's undeniable talent and strategic performance as a musician, she struggled to be taken seriously as a musician, especially in a male-dominated industry. In the liner notes for her original release, comments such as: "Shirley Scott is a girl. At the organ she does a man-sized job."
Personal life Shirley Scott was married to Davis for a number of years, contributing to significant collaborations in music (cite). After her fallout with Davis in 1960, she married the well-known saxophonist
Stanley Turrentine, whom she met on a gig in
Panama. They married in 1961 and collaborated on many records including
Common Touch, and
Girl Talk. After her second marriage, Scott continued to tour and recorded over 50 albums. Additionally, Scott had five children, two sons from her first marriage and three daughters from her second marriage. == Instrument and style ==