Boz Scaggs is a singular talent. His music was and remains great; he has a kind of rock/jazz/blues blend going, with great backups, great lyrics, and his own inimitable style. Today, at age 81, he’s still touring, so we have to give him credit for longevity as well.
Boz Scaggs (real name: William Royce Scaggs) was a bandmate of Steve Miller during his time in the Ardells, and then a member of the Steve Miller Band in 1967 and 1968, before launching his solo career. Like many new artists, he struggled at first, but then came his 1976 album “Silk Degrees,” which I still think is his best, and he went from success to success.
I had a difficult time picking just six songs from Boz Scaggs for this post, but it seems I’ve done like I generally do, and picked six that invoked memories of my youth – three from “Silk Degrees” in 1976, and three from 1980, two from the album “Middle Man,” and one single release. Boz was, after all, one of the artists I always played in my car while on a date, trying to impress a girl with my style and sophistication. But I played Boz plenty when solo, too; I just like his work. I still do.
With no further ado, then:
Harbour Lights (1976): From the great album “Silk Degrees”, which I think is the best of Boz Scagg’s albums. This one, like most good songs, evokes some emotions and even some images. When I listen to it, I picture a small harbor town in the late evening, with a full moon and harbor lights reflecting off the smooth black water, boats rocking gently at their moorings, maybe a small dram of good whiskey at one’s side.
Maybe a pretty gal, too.
Lido Shuffle (1976): Originally released on “Silk Degrees,” the official video release of this great tune includes behind-the-scenes footage, the band's warm-up, and concludes with a concert scene. Great stuff. If I had to pick a favorite Boz Scaggs song, this would be it. It’s a fun song with a great beat, and Boz does it great live.Read More: Start Your Weekend Right With 6 Great Peter Frampton Tunes, to Show You the Way
Lowdown (1976): This one was Boz Scagg’s most popular single release, landing at #3 on the American Billboard Top 100 in July of 1976. It’s an interesting song, given its start on radio play, interestingly enough, by a Cleveland R&B station. Boz was rumored to have said about this song that it would never be released as a single, but there we are.
JoJo (1980): From the album “Middle Man”, this rather dark tune describes a (possibly violent) pimp working in New York City, specifically in Broadway. This was one of two songs released from “Middle Man” as singles, the other being the much different song “Breakdown Dead Ahead,” which we’ll get to in a moment. “JoJo” broke into the top 20 on the Billboard Top 100, topping out at 17.Look What You’ve Done to Me (1980): Believe it or not, this song was recorded as part of the soundtrack for the John Travolta/Debra Winger grenade “Urban Cowboy.” I was working third shift in a 7-11 in Cedar Falls, Iowa, when that horror hit theaters, and while I never saw it, I could tell who did. The same numbskulls who, one week earlier, showed up in disco duds humming Bee Gees tunes, suddenly showed up at my store wearing boots and big cowboy hats, because they had no style or substance of their own and just aped whatever John Travolta had done last. I’m just glad I didn’t stick around to see what they did after “Pulp Fiction” came out. Even so, this is still a good song, even if the movie was a train wreck.Read More: Start Your Weekend Right With Seven Great Steely Dan Songs
Breakdown Dead Ahead (1980): Also from the album “Middle Man,” this one came in a nudge ahead of the other single release, topping out at #15 on the Billboard Top 100 compared to “JoJo” landing at 17. While the song has an upbeat tempo, the lyrics bear a careful listen. The title refers to a person trying to make a connection with someone they have come to care about, only to be rebuffed; one stanza in particular stands out:
I call ya
You ain't in
What's this cold reaction
Where you been?
Ooh baby
Layin' it on the line
If this is last call
And you say that's all you can take
It's fine
It's still a great song, despite the mildly depressing message. Fortunately for us fans, Boz never hit that breakdown dead ahead himself – or at least, not hard enough to keep him from making music we all love.
We should admire Boz, as noted above; he’s still touring at age 81. I hope I have that much energy at that age. Now, I’m sure all of you have a Boz Scaggs tune or two to add to the list. The comments, as always, are all yours.
