Colin Escott (born August 31, 1949) is a British music historian and author specializing in early U.S.

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from Africa ...

and

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

. His works include a biography of

Hank Williams Hank Williams (born Hiram Williams; September 17, 1923 – January 1, 1953) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician. Regarded as one of the most significant and influential American singers and songwriters of the 20th century, he reco ...

, histories of

Sun Records Sun Records is an American independent record label founded by producer Sam Phillips in Memphis, Tennessee in February 1952. Sun was the first label to record Elvis Presley, Charlie Rich, Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and Johnny C ...

and

The Grand Ole Opry The ''Grand Ole Opry'' is a weekly American country music stage concert in Nashville, Tennessee, founded on November 28, 1925, by George D. Hay as a one-hour radio "barn dance" on WSM (AM), WSM. Currently owned and operated by Opry Entertainment ...

liner notes Liner notes (also sleeve notes or album notes) are the writings found on the sleeves of LP record albums and in booklets that come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or the equivalent packaging for cassettes. Origin Liner notes are desce ...

for more than 500 albums and compilations, and major contributions to stage and television productions. Honors include multiple

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

s and a

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual cer ...

nomination.

Career

His early career included stints in operations for

Island Records Island Records is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded in 1959 by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall, and Leslie Kong in Jamaica, and was eventually sold to PolyGram in 1989. Island and A&M Records, anoth ...

and

Polygram Records PolyGram N.V. was a multinational entertainment company and major music record label formerly based in the Netherlands. It was founded in 1962 as the Grammophon-Philips Group by Dutch corporation Philips and German corporation Siemens, to be a ...

in the 1970s, followed by independent work for

Universal Universal is the adjective for universe. Universal may also refer to: Companies * NBCUniversal, a media and entertainment company ** Universal Animation Studios, an American Animation studio, and a subsidiary of NBCUniversal ** Universal TV, a ...

, Sony/Columbia,

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...

Rhino A rhinoceros (; ; ), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. (It can also refer to a member of any of the extinct species o ...

Time Life Time Life, with sister subsidiaries StarVista Live and Lifestyle Products Group, a holding of Direct Holdings Global LLC, is an American production company and direct marketer conglomerate, that is known for selling books, music, video/DVD, ...

, Capitol-EMI,

RCA The RCA Corporation was a major American electronics company, which was founded as the Radio Corporation of America in 1919. It was initially a patent trust owned by General Electric (GE), Westinghouse, AT&T Corporation and United Fruit Comp ...

, and many independent companies, including Bear Family,

Sundazed Sundazed Music is an American independent record label based in Coxsackie, New York. It specializes in obscure and rare recordings from the 1950s to the 1970s. In 2000, Sundazed had a staff of 15 and two mixing studios, including a vintage audio ...

Omnivore An omnivore () is an animal that has the ability to eat and survive on both plant and animal matter. Obtaining energy and nutrients from plant and animal matter, omnivores digest carbohydrates, protein, fat, and fiber, and metabolize the nutr ...

, and others. He also wrote music history pieces for various music industry publications including ''

Record Mirror ''Record Mirror'' was a British weekly music newspaper between 1954 and 1991 for pop fans and record collectors. Launched two years after the ''NME'', it never attained the circulation of its rival. The first UK album chart was published in ''Re ...

'', '' Goldmine'', ''Record Hunter'', and others. Described as "the foremost authority on

", in 1992 he and co-writer Martin Hawkins published ''Good Rockin’ Tonight: Sun Records and the Birth of Rock ‘n’ Roll'', the first in-depth account of the label's history. His 1994 book ''Hank Williams: The Biography'' was adapted into the 2015 movie '' I Saw the Light''. The multi-CD box set, ''

The Complete Hank Williams ''The Complete Hank Williams'' is a 1998 box set collecting almost all of the recorded works of country music legend Hank Williams, from his first recorded track in 1947 to the last session prior to his untimely death in 1953 at the age of 29. Wh ...

'', won a 1998 Grammy, and another of his productions, ''Hank Williams:

The Garden Spot Programs, 1950 ''The Garden Spot Programs, 1950'' is a compilation of four fifteen-minute radio shows recorded by country music singer Hank Williams for Naughton Farms in February 1950. After discs containing four shows were found in 2013 by a record collector, ...

'', won a 2014 Grammy. In 1999 he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Association for Recorded Sound Collections. In 2011 he was recognized with the Charlie Lamb Award for Excellence in Country Music Journalism. Escott co-wrote the 2010 musical theater production ''

Million Dollar Quartet "Million Dollar Quartet" is a recording of an impromptu jam session involving Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and Johnny Cash made on December 4, 1956, at the Sun Record Studios in Memphis, Tennessee. An article about the session ...

'', which received three Tony nominations, and in 2020 wrote a sequel, ''Million Dollar Quartet Christmas''. He was also part of the writing/producing team adapting the original show for CMT/Viacom for broadcast in 2017. In 2022 he was tapped as a writer for the "audio adventure" podcast series ''Tennessee Music Pathways''. That same year, he and co-writer

Peter Guralnick Peter Guralnick (born December 15, 1943, in Boston, Massachusetts) is an American music critic, author, and screenwriter. He specializes in the history of early rock and roll and has written on Elvis Presley, Sam Phillips, and Sam Cooke. Caree ...

released "an epic hardcover book", ''The Birth of Rock 'n' Roll: The Illustrated Story of Sun Records and the 70 Recordings That Changed the World'', in conjunction with the film ''

Elvis Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...

''.

Middle Tennessee State University Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU or MT) is a public university in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Founded in 1911 as a normal school, the university consists of eight Undergraduate education, undergraduate colleges as well as a college of Postgr ...

's Center for Popular Music houses the Colin Escott Collection of historical documents and photographs acquired in 2019.

Books

Author

* * * * * *

Co-author

* * * * * * * * * *

Other works

Theater

*Co-writer, ''

'' (2010) *Writer, ''Million Dollar Quartet Christmas'' (2020)

Film

*Screenwriter, ''Let Freedom Sing: Music That Inspired the Civil Rights Movement'' (2009)

Television

*Consultant, ''Lost Highway: The Story of Country Music'' (BBC, 2003) *Executive producer, ''Hank Williams: Honky Tonk Blues'' (PBS,

American Masters ''American Masters'' is a PBS television series which produces biographies on enduring writers, musicians, visual and performing artists, dramatists, filmmakers, and those who have left an indelible impression on the cultural landscape of the ...

, 2004) *Writer, producer, ''

'' ( CMT, 2017) *Consultant, ''

Country Music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

'' (PBS, 2019)

Articles and essays

Selected works from books and major music industry publications: *"Memphis Blues: Sun Rise". ''Record Mirror''. November 13, 1971 *"

Carl Perkins Carl Lee Perkins (April 9, 1932 – January 19, 1998)#nytimesobit, Pareles. was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. A rockabilly great and pioneer of rock and roll, he began his recording career at the Sun Studio, in Memphis, Tennes ...

: 'Blue Suede Shoes'". '' The History of Rock'', 1981 *"

Bill Justis William Everett Justis Jr. (October 14, 1926 – July 16, 1982) was an American pioneer rock and roll musician, composer, and musical arranger, best known for his 1957 Grammy Hall of Fame song, " Raunchy". As a songwriter, he was also often credi ...

: Raunchy by Choice". ''Goldmine''. June 15, 1990 *"

Bill Haley William John Clifton Haley (; July 6, 1925 – February 9, 1981) was an American rock and roll musician. He is credited by many with first popularizing this form of music in the early 1950s with his group Bill Haley & His Comets and million-sel ...

: Indisputably the First". ''Goldmine''. April 19, 1991 *"

Hi Records Hi Records is an American soul music and rockabilly label founded in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1957 by singer Ray Harris, record store owner Joe Cuoghi, Bill Cantrell and Quinton Claunch (formerly producers for Sun Records), and three silent partne ...

: That Memphis Beat". ''Record Hunter''. July 1991 *"

B.B. King Riley B. King (September 16, 1925 – May 14, 2015), known professionally as B.B. King, was an American blues singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. He introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending, shi ...

: The Fortunate Son". ''Goldmine''. April 29, 1994 *"

Tim Hardin James Timothy Hardin (December 23, 1941 – December 29, 1980) was an American folk and blues musician and composer. As well as releasing his own material, several of his songs, including " If I Were a Carpenter" and "Reason to Believe", becam ...

: Poet of the Interior". ''Goldmine''. June 24, 1994 *"

Ian and Sylvia Ian & Sylvia were a Canadian folk and country music duo which consisted of Ian and Sylvia Tyson, née Fricker. They began performing together in 1959 (full-time in 1961), married in 1964, and divorced and stopped performing together in 1975. ...

: Northern Journey". ''Goldmine''. July 8, 1994 *"

The Big Bopper Jiles Perry "J.P." Richardson Jr. (October 24, 1930 – February 3, 1959), known as The Big Bopper, was an American singer, songwriter and disc jockey. His best-known compositions include "Chantilly Lace" and " White Lightning", the latter of wh ...

(J.P. Richardson)", "

Floyd Cramer Floyd Cramer (October 27, 1933 – December 31, 1997) was an American pianist who became famous for his use of melodic "half step" attacks. He was inducted into both the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. His signatu ...

", " Johnny Horton", " Billy Walker". The Encyclopedia of Country Music. 1997 *"Come On, Let's Go!: Elvis on the Hayride".

Mojo Mojo may refer to: * Mojo (African-American culture), a magical charm bag used in voodoo Arts, entertainment and media Film and television * MOJO HD, an American television network * ''Mojo'' (play), by Jez Butterworth, made into a 1997 film * ' ...

. December 2004 *

Selected production credits

Producer credits on major LP and CD releases: *'' Elvis Presley: The Definitive Collection'' (

Sony BMG Sony BMG Music Entertainment was an American record company owned as a 50–50 joint venture between Sony Corporation of America and Bertelsmann. The venture's successor, the revived Sony Music, is wholly owned by Sony, following their buyout o ...

, 2006) *'' The Ike & Tina Turner Story: 1960–1975'' ( Time/Life, 2007) *''

Kenny Rogers Kenneth Ray Rogers (August 21, 1938 – March 20, 2020) was an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2013. Rogers was particularly popular with country audiences but also charted mo ...

: The Greatest Duets'' (Time/Life, 2009) *''

Waylon Jennings Waylon Jennings (June 15, 1937 – February 13, 2002) was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. He pioneered the Outlaw Movement in country music. Jennings started playing guitar at the age of eight and performed at age f ...

: Goin' Down Rockin': The Last Recordings'' (Time/Life, 2012) *''

George Jones George Glenn Jones (September 12, 1931 – April 26, 2013) was an American country musician, singer, and songwriter. He achieved international fame for his long list of hit records, including his best-known song "He Stopped Loving Her Today", ...

: Heartaches and Hangovers'' (Time/Life, 2012) *''George Jones: The Great Lost Hits'' (Time/Life, 2012) *''Dim Lights, Thick Smoke and Hillbilly Music: Volumes 1-10'' (Bear Family, 2011-2013) *''

The Everly Brothers The Everly Brothers were an American rock duo, known for steel-string acoustic guitar playing and close harmony singing. Consisting of Isaac Donald "Don" Everly (February 1, 1937 – August 21, 2021) and Phillip "Phil" Everly (January 19, 1939 ...

Songs Our Daddy Taught Us ''Songs Our Daddy Taught Us'' (1958) is the second studio album by American singing duo the Everly Brothers. The album is based on a selection of songs that the brothers learned as boys from their father, Ike Everly. Originally released on Cadence ...

(reissue)'' (Bear Family, 2013) *''The Sun Rock Box, The Sun Blues Box, The Sun Country Box'' (Bear Family, 2013) *''

Jerry Lee Lewis Jerry Lee Lewis (September 29, 1935October 28, 2022) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Nicknamed "The Killer", he was described as "rock & roll's first great wild man". A pioneer of rock and roll and rockabilly music, Lewis made ...

: The Knox Phillips Sessions'' (Ace, Time/Life, 2014) *''Truckers, Kickers, Cowboy Angels: The Blissed-Out Birth of Country Rock, Volumes 1-5'' (Bear Family, 2014-2015) *''

Big Joe Turner Joseph Vernon "Big Joe" Turner Jr. (May 18, 1911 – November 24, 1985) was an American singer from Kansas City, Missouri. According to songwriter Doc Pomus, "Rock and roll would have never happened without him." His greatest fame was due to ...

: The Complete Boss of the Blues'' (Bear Family, 2020)

Selected liner notes

* Al Green: '' Let's Stay Together'' (

, 1972) * Tiny Tim: ''Tiptoe Through the Tulips: Resurrection'' (Bear Family, 1988) *'' Elvis Presley: The Million Dollar Quartet'' (RCA, 1990) *

Harry Belafonte Harry Belafonte (born Harold George Bellanfanti Jr.; March 1, 1927) is an American singer, activist, and actor. As arguably the most successful Jamaican-American pop star, he popularized the Trinbagonian Caribbean musical style with an interna ...

: ''My Greatest Songs'' (RCA, 1992) *''

Gordon Lightfoot Gordon Meredith Lightfoot Jr. (born November 17, 1938) is a Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist who achieved international success in folk, folk-rock, and country music. He is credited with helping to define the folk-pop sound of the 1960 ...

Sunday Concert ''Sunday Concert'' is Canadian singer Gordon Lightfoot's first solo live album, released in 1969 on the United Artists label. Lightfoot's last recording for United Artists, it was also his first live album and until the release of a live DVD in 2 ...

'' (Bear Family reissue, 1993) *''The Essential

Skeeter Davis Skeeter Davis (born Mary Frances Penick; December 30, 1931September 19, 2004) was an American country music singer and songwriter who sang crossover pop music songs including 1962's " The End of the World". She started out as part of the Davis S ...

'' (RCA, 1996) *''The Classic

Lena Horne Lena Mary Calhoun Horne (June 30, 1917 – May 9, 2010) was an American dancer, actress, singer, and civil rights activist. Horne's career spanned more than seventy years, appearing in film, television, and theatre. Horne joined the chorus of th ...

'' (RCA, 2001) *''The Very Best of

the Searchers ''The Searchers'' is a 1956 American Technicolor VistaVision epic Western film directed by John Ford and written by Frank S. Nugent, based on the 1954 novel by Alan Le May. It is set during the Texas-Native American wars, and stars John Wa ...

'' (Sanctuary, 2002) *'' Sammy Davis, Jr.: My Greatest Songs'' (Universal, 2003) *''The Millennium Collection: The Best of

Jimmy Cliff James Chambers OM (born 30 July 1944), known professionally as Jimmy Cliff, is a Jamaican ska, rocksteady, reggae and soul musician, multi-instrumentalist, singer, and actor. He is the only living reggae musician to hold the Order of Merit, t ...

'' (Universal, 2004) *'' This Is Reggae Music: The Golden Era 1960-1975'' (

Trojan Records Trojan Records is a British record label founded in 1968. It specialises in ska, rocksteady, reggae and dub music. The label currently operates under the Sanctuary Records Group. The name ''Trojan'' comes from the Croydon-built Trojan truck t ...

, 2004)

Awards

Grammy Awards

Tony Awards

Living Blues ''Living Blues: The Magazine of the African American Blues Tradition'' is a bi-monthly magazine focused on blues music, and America's oldest blues periodical. The magazine was founded as a quarterly in Chicago in 1970 by Jim O'Neal and Amy van ...

International Bluegrass Music Association The International Bluegrass Music Association, or IBMA, is a trade association to promote bluegrass music. Formed in 1985, IBMA established its first headquarters in Owensboro, Kentucky. In 1988 they announced plans to create the International ...

Personal life

Escott was born in

Boughton Aluph Boughton Aluph (pronounced ''Bawton Alluf'') is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Ashford in Kent, England, and is about 5 miles (8 km) north of Ashford on the A251 road. There are two villages within the parish: Boughton Aluph its ...

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

, UK, on August 31, 1949, the son of Lenny, an optician, and Betty Escott. He graduated in 1971 from the

University of Kent , motto_lang = , mottoeng = Literal translation: 'Whom to serve is to reign'(Book of Common Prayer translation: 'whose service is perfect freedom')Graham Martin, ''From Vision to Reality: the Making of the University of Kent at Canterbury'' ...

with a B.A. degree. He has lived in Nashville and Toronto.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Escott, Colin 1949 births British music journalists British musicologists British biographers Grammy Award winners Alumni of the University of Kent Living people