Meet Scott Greeson --
Indiana recording artist/ singer/ songwriter/ performer
As one person said of Scott Greeson: "Some artists perform the
songs; some artists are the songs. Scott is definitely the latter."
This summer, after nearly a decade of work, Scott is giving his
fans an even closer look at his music and his life with the release
of "Wabash Gypsies," a collection of instrumental acoustic guitar
music he wrote with Kevin Ludwig, who performs with Scott in the band
Trouble with Monday.
This time, Scott is telling the story without words, letting his
guitar speak about his life's journey over the past 10 years, the
loss of his first wife Jan and the grief that followed, and the
challenge of honoring that part of his life and moving on.
The idea for the CD began in 2001 with the composition of "The
Prophet," which as an acoustic instrumental piece required Scott to
work without his trademark lyrics and to express himself solely
through the music.
"That song forced me to express myself musically and to be a
better guitar player," he said. "It required me to use my fingers and
strings to express myself."
He described the writing partnership with Kevin as "electrifying"
as the two began writing the instrumental acoustic guitar music
together in bits and pieces. "That's the magic about Kevin and me,"
Scott said. "I had to let myself be led to improvisational writing.
It's very different for me."
While this is Scott's first instrumental CD, it is the third of
his career, following "Hoosier Surf" (1997) and "The Proving
Grounds," (1999).
Scott's songs are best described as poetic snapshots of folks
living in America's heartland, his lyrics painting the picture of
real, hard-working people whom Scott encounters in everyday life.
These people and their stories have been a constant source of
inspiration for Scott as a person and a songwriter. Radio stations
call Scott's music "Americana," a format blending folk, traditional,
bluegrass, alternative country and acoustic blues.
Scott grew up in Lafayette, Ind., and his earliest musical
inspirations came from folks living in the "cornfield turned
subdivision" where he grew up: a neighbor who taught him to play
guitar, older kids who introduced him to rock and roll, and his
parents who made certain he sang in the church choir and also exposed
him to country radio. Scott's early influences ranged from Creedence
Clearwater Revival to Merle Haggard to country church hymns - he
listened to and loved it all.
Scott started his first rock band at age 12 and wrote his first
tune, "Love in the Third Degree," at age 15. Ironically, the first
tune was a country ballad with some Hank Williams Jr. overtones that
yielded Scott some teasing from his hard-rocking fellow musicians.
Scott also won an award for the song in a statewide songwriting
competition. Although his winnings from the contest were limited to
some fried chicken, a dozen donuts and some albums that no one really
wanted, Scott realized then someone might actually want to hear what
he had to say through his music.
Scott's faith is a large part of his evolution as a singer and a
songwriter, as he found church to be a place where he found
affirmation for his music skills.
"The church choirs were a place for me to feel like I really
belonged," he said. "It was the first acknowledgement by anyone to
say, 'hey, you've got a talent to sing."
His unending love for songwriting and performing music has
brought him to the place his is today - with three CDs, an increasing
demand for stage appearances and opportunities to help others through
raising money for patients battling heart disease and helping young
songwriters launch their careers.
A portion of the proceeds from "Wabash Gypsies" will be donated
to the Adult Congenital Heart Association in memory of Scott's first
wife, Jan, who died Oct. 13, 2006 at age 43 after a lifelong struggle
with heart disease. "Jan's Journey," recorded for "Wabash Gypsies,"
is a tribute to her.
"It represents the life Jan and I had together and its ending -
it's building to something great - something more than all the good
things on Earth. It's saying goodbye to the bad things here and
moving to that something great beyond here."
Scott co-founded the Songwriters Association of Mid-North Indiana
and the Shirley Martin Scholarship for Young Songwriters. The
association fosters and encourages songwriters to continue their
creative efforts with monthly meetings and shows in Lafayette. The
scholarship program rewards songwriting beginners with monetary
scholarships and a custom-made guitar to further their music
aspirations.
In January 2006, Scott and Kevin's original material that became
the basis for "Wabash Gypsies" was used in the PBS documentary "The
Wabash: Life on the Bright White River." The documentary, produced by
Gary Harrison and initially broadcast on Indianapolis affiliate WFYI,
featured "The Prophet" and also showed Scott and Kevin during a live
riverside performance.
Scott manages Hoosier Surf Records, an independent record label.
Over the past few years, he has produced CD projects for several
other recording artists and various organizations.
Scott also keeps up with a demanding performance schedule,
including appearances with Trouble with Monday at Verizon Wireless
Music Center in Noblesville on the VIP stage prior to concerts this
year by Rascal Flatts and George Strait. He also performs at venues
around Indiana and throughout Greater Lafayette throughout the year,
often with his wife Vickie, who plays and sings with him in a duo, or
with Trouble with Monday. He and Vickie live on a farm near Battle
Ground
At his real job, Scott has worked for Alcoa Lafayette Operations
for 25 years as a Senior Integrated Customer Engineering Specialist.
He makes sure customer requirements for fabrication are correct and
understandable to those on Alcoa's production floor.
"I have been blessed to have a real job and also to play these
wonderful venues,' Scott said. "I do feel my strength lies in the
writing side of things," he said, musing about where music will take
him next.
"I see myself continuing to do this, traveling, playing music
with Vickie and the band and continuing to mentor young people, " he
said. "There are so many ideas that I want to expand upon - recording
projects, a new studio..."
Through his music, life and career, Scott reminds us that hope,
hard work, perseverance and faith give life to our heart's desires.
"The whole 'Wabash Gypsies' thought is this," Scott said. "All of
us who live here go about our lives wandering the banks. The river,
like so many other common things in our lives, easily fades to
oblivion when it comes to our ability to recognize sustained beauty."
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