(March 28, 2023) Our friends at The Boogie Report have informed us of the passing of legendary blues and R&B singer Peggy Scott-Adams at age 74, a star who had not one, but two enviable music careers.
The Florida native had a string of hits in the late 60s, including “Soulshake,” “Lover’s Holiday,” and the duet “Picking Wild Mountain Berries” with Jo Jo Benson. Starting her career as a backup singer for Ben E. King, the then Peggy Stoutmeyer showed off her expressive, rich voice, which won her a contract with the SSS label, where she recorded her biggest hits.
Unfortunately, the hits seemed to end as soon as the came, and Scott-Adams moved to California, where she lived a life largely out of the public spotlight. But, in an unexpected turn of events, Scott-Adams went back into the studio in 1996 with producer Jimmy Lewis and issued the controversial single “Bill,” which became her first major chart hit in more than two decades and led to the success of the associated album, Help Yourself. It began a second string of hit songs and albums that extended through the first decade of the 21st century.
The story of Peggy Scott-Adams is one of the fickle nature of the music business, but also of the redemption of talent unexpectedly finding its way back to the top. Rest in Peace, Ms. Scott-Adams.
By Chris Rizik