Linda Scott
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Linda Scott (born Linda Joy Sampson, 1 June 1945) was a pop singer active in the early to mid 1960s. Her biggest hit was the 1961 million-selling single, "I've Told Every Little Star". She went on to place twelve songs on the charts over the next four years, the last being "Who’s Been Sleeping In My Bed," which was one of the first collaborations between the legendary writing team of Hal David and Burt Bacharach.
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[edit] Biography
Born in Queens, New York, Scott was still in school in New Jersey (Teaneck High School Class of '63) when she auditioned for Arthur Godfrey's radio show on CBS in 1959. After having won a place on the show, Scott and other young performers became regular guests on the show. During the show's run the young singer came to the attention of Epic Records and Scott made her recording debut (singing as Linda Sampson) with the single "In-Between Teen".
Though still in high school, in 1961 she signed with Canadian-American Records, a record label that had struck gold with the Santo & Johnny single "Sleep Walk". The label changed her performing name to Linda Scott, producing and releasing the hit "I've Told Every Little Star," a standard written by Oscar Hammerstein II and Jerome Kern for their 1932 production Music In The Air.
Scott's three biggest hits came in that first year, with "I've Told Every Little Star," "I Don't Know Why," and "Don't Bet Money, Honey." The first two were standards, while the third was one of Scott's own compositions.
Scott was the showcase artist when Canadian-American started a subsidiary label, Congress Records, in 1962, and in fact both labels released new material of hers simultaneously. The following year, she hit the big screen, singing her hit "Yessirree" in the Chubby Checker vehicle, Don't Knock The Twist.
Scott's final U.S. chart appearance was "Who's Been Sleeping In My Bed," released in January 1964, the same month that The Beatles made their first chart appearance. In 1965 she became a cast member of the TV rock show Where the Action Is, which she co-hosted with singer Steve Alaimo.
Though she continued recording for Congress and Kapp Records in the mid 1960s, her singles were less and less commercially successful, although they demonstrated a more progressive, soulful feel than her earlier recordings, with Scott's voice growing more supple and mature.
Scott's last U.S. recording, "They Don't Know You", was released in 1967 on RCA records. She continued to record as a backing singer (most notably on Lou Christie's 1969 hit "I'm Gonna Make You Mine") and also released a handful of singles in the UK (on CBS and Bell) before finally quitting show business in the early 1970s to pursue studies in theology.
Scott was an army medical laboratory technician for two years, stationed in Fort Sam Houston, Texas, and also received a degree in Theology from Kingsway Christian College and Theological Seminary in Des Moines[1], according to an interview she gave to Goldmine in 1987[2]. She later taught music at the Christian Academy in New York. During her time in the army, she met and married a fellow serviceman. The marriage produced one child, in 1973, and ended in divorce. She later taught music at the Christian Academy in New York.
The CD collection The Complete Hits of Linda Scott was released by Eric Records in 1995, while her recording of “I’ve Told Every Little Star” was included in director David Lynch’s film Mulholland Drive.
[edit] Discography
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Linda Scott 45 rpm singles
(BILLBOARD peak Hot 100 chart positions indicated in parentheses following titles)
1959 "In-Between Teen" as Linda Sampson (Epic; b-side and catalog # unknown)
1961 "I've Told Every Little Star" (#3) b/w "Three Guesses" (Canadian American 123)
1961 "Don't Bet Money Honey" (#9) b/w "Starlight, Starbright" (#44) (Canadian American 127)
1961 "I Don't Know Why" (#12) b/w "It's All Because" (#50) (Canadian American 129)
1961 "Christmas Day" b/w "Twistin' Bells" (b-side by Santo and Johnny) (Canadian American 132)
1962 "Count Every Star" (#41) b/w "Land of Stars" (Canadian American 133)
1962 "Yessiree" (#60) b/w "Town Crier" (#116) (Congress 101)
1962 "Bermuda" (#70) b/w "Lonely for You" (Canadian American 134)
1962 "Never In a Million Years" (#56) b/w "Through the Summer" (Congress 103)
1962 "I Left My Heart in the Balcony" (#74) b/w "Lopsided Love Affair" (Congress 106)
1962 "I'm So Afraid Of Losing You" b/w "The Loneliest Girl In Town" (Congress 108)
1963 "I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself A Letter" b/w "Ain't That Fun" (Congress 110)
1963 "Let's Fall In Love" (#108) b/w "I Know It, You Know It" (Congress 200, reissued in 1964 as Congress 206)
1963 "Who's Been Sleeping In My Bed?" (#100) b/w "My Heart" (Congress 204)
1964 "I Envy You" b/w "Everybody Stopped Laughing At Janie" (Congress 209)
1964 "That Old Feeling" b/w "This Is My Prayer" (Kapp 610)
1965 "Patch It Up" (#135) b/w "If I Love Again" (Kapp 641)
1965 "Don't Lose Your Head" b/w "I'll See You In My Dreams" (Kapp 677)
1965 "You Baby" b/w "I Can't Get Through To You" (Kapp 713)
1966 "Toys" b/w "Take A Walk Bobby" (Kapp 762)
1967 "They Don't Know You" b/w "Three Miles High" (RCA Victor 47-9424)
1968 "The Composer" b/w "You Made A Fool Out of Me" UK only (CBS # unknown)
1969 "First Of All" b/w "The Answer's In My Eyes" UK only (CBS 4246)
1971 "Sweet Sweet Reason" b/w "You Wanted Me To Be Your Baby" UK only (Bell 1138)
[edit] References
- ^ The Kingsway Christian College and Theological Seminary is alleged to be a degree mill
- ^ From the liner notes of her album "The Complete Hits Of Linda Scott"
