Boz Scaggs

Boz Scaggs
Born	William Royce Scaggs (1944-06-08) June 8, 1944 Canton, Ohio, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Vocalist, songwriter, guitarist
Years active	1959–present
Known for	Silk Degrees album; member of Steve Miller Band; founder of Slim's nightclub

William Royce "Boz" Scaggs (born June 8, 1944) is an American vocalist, songwriter, and guitarist. In the early 1960s, he performed alongside Steve Miller in the Ardells and was later a member of the Steve Miller Band from 1967 to 1968.

Scaggs embarked on a solo career beginning in 1969 but reached widespread acclaim with his 1976 release, Silk Degrees. This album climbed to number 2 on the Billboard 200 chart and included popular tracks such as "Lido Shuffle" and "Lowdown". He continued his success with two additional platinum albums, Down Two Then Left and Middle Man, the latter producing top-40 hits "Breakdown Dead Ahead" and "Jojo".

After largely stepping back during the 1980s, Scaggs returned in 1988 with the album Other Roads and became part of the New York Rock and Soul Revue. He also founded Slim's, a well-known nightclub in San Francisco that remained open until 2020. Throughout the 1990s into the 2010s, Scaggs maintained an active presence in recording and touring, with his most recent album released in 2018 titled Out of the Blues.

Scaggs played a pivotal role in the creation of Toto. For Silk Degrees, he assembled musicians including David Paich, David Hungate, and Jeff Porcaro, all of whom had previously worked on projects like Steely Dan's Pretzel Logic. Their experience touring with Scaggs helped cement their band identity, leading to a contract offer from Columbia without an audition. This opportunity significantly accelerated Toto’s emergence. The collaboration has continued over time, with Paich contributing to six tracks on Scaggs’ 2001 album, Dig.

Early life, family and education

Born in Canton, Ohio, Scaggs is the eldest son of Royce and Helen Scaggs. His father worked as a traveling salesman and served in the Army Air Corps during World War II. The family moved first to McAlester, Oklahoma and later settled near Dallas, Texas, in Plano, Texas. At age nine, Scaggs began studying the cello and earned a scholarship to attend St. Mark's School of Texas in Dallas.

While at St. Mark's, he met Steve Miller, who taught him guitar when he was twelve years old. A schoolmate gave him the nickname "Boz," which evolved from "Bosley" and "Boswell."

Early years

In 1959, Scaggs became the lead singer for Steve Miller's group, the Marksmen. After completing high school in 1962, both attended the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where they performed in blues ensembles such as the Ardells and Fabulous Knight Trains.

Scaggs left college in 1963 to focus entirely on music. He joined the Army Reserve while forming the band Wigs with John "Toad" Andrews and Bob Arthur. By 1965, they had entered London's burgeoning R&B scene, though the group soon disbanded. Afterwards, Scaggs traveled across Europe as a street musician before recording his first solo album Boz in 1965 under Sweden’s Karusell Grammofon AB; it did not achieve commercial success. He also briefly performed with the band the Other Side.

Returning stateside in 1967, Scaggs rejoined Steve Miller’s band based in San Francisco and appeared on their initial two albums: Children of the Future and Sailor (1968). Creative differences led to his exit from the group. Signed by Atlantic Records in 1968, he released his second album, Boz Scaggs (1969), produced by Jann Wenner, featuring contributions from the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section and session guitarist Duane Allman. Although critically praised, its commercial performance was moderate. Additionally, he provided guitar work and backing vocals on San Francisco band Mother Earth's second record.

Following this period, Scaggs signed with Columbia Records, issuing Moments (1971) and My Time (1972), both achieving modest sales figures. In pursuit of a more soulful direction, Columbia enlisted former Motown producer Johnny Bristol for his 1974 album Slow Dancer. While it peaked at No. 81 on the US Billboard Album Chart at release, it eventually attained gold certification propelled by the later success of Silk Degrees.

1976–1981: The Peak Era

In 1976, Boz Scaggs recorded the album Silk Degrees with session musicians who would later become the band Toto, under the production of Joe Wissert. This album received a Grammy nomination for Album of the Year and climbed to No. 2 on the US Billboard 200, while also securing top positions on charts internationally. It yielded four successful singles: "It's Over," "Lowdown," "What Can I Say," and "Lido Shuffle," along with the ballad "We're All Alone," which later became a number-one hit for Rita Coolidge. The single "Lowdown" surpassed one million sales in the United States and won the Grammy Award for Best R&B Song, an honor shared by Scaggs and David Paich. Interestingly, John Travolta choreographed a dance routine to "Lowdown" for the film Saturday Night Fever, but Columbia Records prevented its inclusion due to licensing issues.

Following the widespread acclaim of Silk Degrees, Scaggs embarked on a global tour that sold out venues. During a 1977 performance at New York’s Avery Fisher Hall, the concert was interrupted by a citywide blackout; Scaggs committed to performing again within days. He also supported Fleetwood Mac on tour between 1976 and 1977.

His next album, Down Two Then Left released in 1977, did not achieve the commercial heights of its predecessor, with none of its singles entering the Top 40. For this project, Scaggs once more collaborated with Toto and enlisted Ray Parker Jr, who would later gain fame for composing the theme to Ghostbusters.

The 1980 release Middle Man produced two Top 20 singles: "Breakdown Dead Ahead" reached No. 15 and "Jojo" peaked at No. 17. Additionally, Scaggs earned Top 20 hits in 1980–81 with "Look What You've Done to Me" from the Urban Cowboy soundtrack and "Miss Sun", a previously unreleased Toto demo from 1977 included on a greatest hits collection; both tracks reached No. 14 on the Hot 100 chart.

Subsequent Career

After feeling that his music had become more of a "career" than an art form and sensing it had "left him," Scaggs took an extended hiatus from recording. An attempted comeback in 1983 was unsuccessful, but he returned in 1988 with Other Roads, which Columbia Records initially declined to release due to the absence of a strong hit single. The album featured "Heart of Mine," his final top-40 single as of 2018. That same year, he launched the San Francisco nightclub Slim's, which he owned until it closed in 2020.

In 1992, Scaggs appeared at Toto’s tribute concert honoring Jeff Porcaro, performing alongside notable musicians including Don Henley, Donald Fagen, and Eddie Van Halen. His later albums encompassed Some Change (1994), the rhythm and blues-oriented Come On Home, and the compilation My Time: A Boz Scaggs Anthology (1997). In 1998, he toured as an opening act for Stevie Nicks.

Following another pause in recording, Scaggs released Dig in 2001 to favorable reviews; however, its launch coincided with the events of September 11. In 2003, he issued But Beautiful, a collection of jazz standards that debuted atop the jazz charts. This was followed by Speak Low in 2008, an experimental album influenced by Gil Evans. That year also saw the release of a live DVD and CD titled Greatest Hits Live, recorded in San Francisco. The album Dig was reissued in 2006 without the track "Get on the Natch."

Scaggs resumed touring throughout the United States in 2008 and participated in the Dukes of September Rhythm Revue concerts alongside Donald Fagen and Michael McDonald in 2010. His album Memphis, released in March 2013, was recorded at Royal Studios and featured covers of favorite songs. He supported this release with tours across North America, Japan, and Australia through 2014.

In 2015, he released A Fool to Care, blending cover songs with collaborations featuring Lucinda Williams and Bonnie Raitt. The album reached number one on Billboard’s Blues Album chart and peaked at number 54 on the Billboard 200. His follow-up release in 2018, Out of the Blues, also achieved number one status on Billboard’s Top Blues Albums chart.

In February 2024, post-pandemic, Scaggs completed a seven-show tour in Japan. During his Tokyo performance, he announced his intention to donate his touring guitars to a charity auction benefiting recovery efforts from the 2024 Noto Peninsula Earthquake.

Personal Life

In 1973, Scaggs married Donna Carmella Storniola; they had two sons named Austin and Oscar. The marriage ended in divorce in 1980, with joint custody of their sons awarded to Scaggs three and a half years later. Austin became a music journalist for Rolling Stone, while Oscar tragically died in 1998 due to a heroin overdose. Donna Carmella passed away in February 2017.

Scaggs wed Dominique Gioia in 1992. The couple relocated to Napa Valley in 1996 where they cultivated a vineyard spanning 2.2 acres planted with Grenache, Mourvedre, Syrah, and Counoise grape varieties. Their inaugural wine was produced in 2000, and by 2006 Scaggs Vineyard had attained organic certification. In 2016, he sold this vineyard property to Newfound Wines.

In October 2017, while touring, their residence was destroyed by Northern California wildfires along with their vineyard, vehicles, and irreplaceable personal belongings including decades worth of lyric notes.

Awards and Nominations

Grammy Awards

Year	Status	Category	Work
1977	Nominee	Album of the Year	Silk Degrees
		Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male	"Lowdown"
		Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male	Silk Degrees
		Best Recording Package
	Winner	Best Rhythm & Blues Song	"Lowdown"
1981	Nominee	Best Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or Television Special	"Look What You've Done to Me"
1998	Nominee	Best Contemporary Blues Album	Come On Home
2019	Nominee	Best Contemporary Blues Album	Out of the Blues

In addition to Grammy recognition, Scaggs was honored with the Texas Medal of Arts in 2019.

With Steve Miller Band

Year	Album	US Chart Peak
1968	Children of the Future	134
1968	Sailor	24

Solo Albums

Year	Title	Highest Chart Positions				Certifications
		US Billboard 200	US R&B Albums	Australia (Kent Music Report)	UK Albums Chart
1965	Boz	—	—	data-sort-value="" style="background: var(--background-color-interactive, #ececec); color: var(--color-base, inherit); vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-na" | —	—		- 1969 Boz Scaggs* 171 — data-sort-value="" style="background: var(--background-color-interactive, #ececec); color: var(--color-base, inherit); vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-na" | — —	- 1971 Moments 124 — — —	- 1971 Boz Scaggs & Band 198 — — —	- 1972 My Time 138 — — —	- 1974 Slow Dancer 81 62 — — RIAA: Gold	- 1976 Silk Degrees 2 6 1 20 RIAA: 5× Platinum; ARIA: 6× Platinum; BPI: Silver	- 1977 Down Two Then Left 11 — 4 55 RIAA: Platinum; ARIA: 2× Platinum	- 1980 Middle Man 8 36 11 52 RIAA: Platinum	- 1988 Other Roads 47 — 35 —	- 1994 Some Change 91 — — —	- 1996 Fade into Light — — — —	- 1997 Come On Home 94 — — —	- 2001 Dig 146 — — —	- 2003 But Beautiful 167 — — —	- 2008 Speak Low 128 — — —	- 2013 Memphis 17 — — —	- 2015 A Fool to Care 54 — — —	- 2018 Out of the Blues 82 — — —

* The self-titled Atlantic Records release from 1969 initially did not chart but reached No.171 upon reissue in 1974. A remixed edition from 1977 peaked at No.209 on Billboard’s Top LPs & Tape chart and has been used for most subsequent re-releases. A combined two-CD set issued in 2015 includes both versions.

* Rolling Stone magazine placed Silk Degrees at number 496 on its list ranking the greatest albums ever made.

Compilation albums

Year	Album	Highest chart rankings		Certifications
		US	AUS
1980	Hits!	24	9	RIAA: Platinum
1984	His Greatest Hits	—	28
1997	My Time: A Boz Scaggs Anthology	—	—
2004	Greatest Hits Live	—	—
2013	The Essential Boz Scaggs	—	—
2019	Japanese Singles Collection-Greatest Hits-	—	—
"—" indicates albums that did not enter the charts or were not issued in that market.

Singles

rowspan=2 |1977 1978 rowspan=4 |1980 rowspan=2 |1988 rowspan=2 |1994

Year	Title	Highest chart rankings								Album
		US	US AC	CAN	CAN AC	UK	IRE	AUS	NZ
1971	"We Were Always Sweethearts"	61	—	40	—	—	—	—	—	Moments
	"Near You"	96	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	Moments
1972	"Dinah Flo"	86	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	My Time
1976	"It's Over"	—	—	63	Silk Degrees
	"Lowdown"	11	7	54	35	Silk Degrees
	"What Can I Say"	35	21	2	—	Silk Degrees
"Lido Shuffle"	—	—	—	—	Down Two Then Left
"Hard Times"	—	—	40	Down Two Then Left
"Hollywood"	—	23	19	7	Down Two Then Left
"Breakdown Dead Ahead"	—	—	Middle Man
"Jojo"	29	—	Middle Man
"Look What You've Done to Me"	3	41	Urban Cowboy (soundtrack)
"Miss Sun"	13	—	Hits!
"Heart of Mine"	3	—	Other Roads
"Cool Running"	39	43						Other Roads
"Some Change"		38						Some Change
"I'll Be the One"		68						Some Change

External links

• Official website