(Full Light Records) To many, Darrell Scott may not be a familiar name as an artist in his own right. However, most are indeed at least indirectly familiar with him through his songs that have been recorded and taken to the top of the charts by others. Some of those songs include "Long Time Gone" and "Heartbreak Town" recorded by the Dixie Chicks, "Great Day To Be Alive," recorded by Travis Tritt, "Born To Fly," recorded by Sara Evans and "You'll Never Leave Harlan Alive" which was recorded by both Patty Loveless and Brad Paisley. So far, Darrell's had more than 40 of his songs recorded by other artists. But not because he's primarily a songwriter who pitched his songs to others- the songs were picked up when other artists heard his incredible songwriting after he recorded the songs on his own albums (he released two solo albums, Aloha From Nashville and Family Tree on the Sugar Hill label, as well as a duet album with Tim O'Brien Real Time on the Howdy Skies Records label, before starting his own label, Full Light Records). Somewhat bemusedly, he says the songs that have been his most successful are the ones he thought were the least likely to be chosen by others to record. His songwriting success led to The National Songwriters Association International naming him Songwriter of the Year in 2001, ASCAP naming him Songwriter of the Year in 2002, as well as earning two Grammy nominations.

Darrell's also an accomplished instrumentalist and in-demand session musician, playing virtually every stringed instrument, as well as piano/keyboards and even tuba, and often contributes background/harmony vocals. He's appeared on the albums of dozens of artists that include Randy Travis, Steve Earle, Patty Loveless, Trisha Yearwood, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Suzy Bogguss, and Stephanie Urbina Jones, to name a few. He's also recorded and toured extensively with Tim O'Brien, Sam Bush and Guy Clark.

Darrell took the long route to Nashville. Born in London, Kentucky, he grew up in East Gary, Indiana. He played his first professional gig in Alaska before hitting the Southern California roadhouse circuit at age 16. From there he headed to Canada before eventually landing in Boston where he attended Tufts University. It was while in Boston, he signed his first deal with a label and recorded his first album in 1991. However the album was never released because the label felt it lacked a single and commerical viability. The following year, he headed to Nashville where he finally managed to find success.

Theatre Of The Unheard is actually the album he recorded from his time in Boston that was never released. Though he'd moved on, Darrell felt those songs were still deserving of being heard, so when he started up his new label, he decided the time was right for them to be heard. The songs on Theatre Of The Unheard aren't the original versions he'd recorded 12 years earlier, but are re-makes of those songs from the perspective of being 12 years older, wiser and more confident. For the disc, he worked with a core band of musicians that consists of Kenny Malone on drums, Danny Thompson on bass and Dan Dugmore on steel guitar. Also appearing are Rodney Crowell, Stuart Duncan, John Cowan and Jonelle Mosser.

The songs on Theatre Of The Unheard revolve around strong, vivid portraits of cast off and lost souls struggling with the limitations of small town life ("East Gary"), abandonment, the pitfalls of alcohol ("Uncle Lloyd," "Day After Day"), defining moments in relationships ("Full Light"), yearning, and the search for a better life in what his characters perceive as greener pastures ("Six O'Clock In The Morning"). Where Darrell's earlier albums were more acoustic based, Theatre Of The Unheard is a more sonically eclectic blend of Americana where he incorporates elements of country, southern and roots rock, folk, jazz, blues  Celtic-bluegrass and hill country breakdowns, which he delivers  outstandingly with earthy and soulful vocals.

Darrell Scott blew into Nashville as a non-conformist who went about crafting his music his way, and has found a great deal of success in doing so. He formed Full Light Records to insure things stayed that way- "so he can fully own and control his recordings without anyone telling him how he should sound or what he should do." Darrell's proven himself one of the strongest and most talented artists out there today and has created a truly original, diverse and breathtaking disc in Theatre Of The Unheard.   

Standout Tracks: "East Of Gary," "Uncle Lloyd," "Six O'Clock In The Morning," "Miracle Of Living," "River Take Me, "Alton Air"

The Last Word:  "When push comes to shove," Darrell says, "I’d rather be known as a wildly creative guy than a wildly successful businessman or a songwriter who knew how to write a good hook. It would worry me if I was like that."

Can't improve on the words from the man himself. 

On The Net:  www.darrellscott.com

AnnMarie Harrington TakeCountryBack January 2004