Junior Scott plants a firm foundation in The Bahamas – Jamaica Star Online

An unexpected job opportunity steered Portland-raised musician Junior Scott into establishing a new career and life in The Bahamas as a minister of music for the Golden Gate World Outreach Ministries.

Scott says that he was ready to take what he calls "a leap of faith", having completed studies at the Edna Manley School of Music and having the experience as a touring musician.

He has served as a backing musician for Nadine Blair's Perpetual Praise, as well as for gospel megastars Kevin Downswell, Prodigal Son, Chosen Vessel and Jermaine Edwards.

"I didn't see myself going into music production before relocating to Nassau. Back in Jamaica, most of my time was spent on stage, performing live; but moving to a smaller island, there was the realisation that lots of gospel artistes existed in a place that there weren't a lot of producers," Scott told Gospel Spotlight. "It was like finding untapped, fertile ground, and when you happen upon that, you see how best you can supply what is lacking to make something flourish."

Scott has made his mark producing for some of the premier musical ministers in The Bahamas, like Lynn Terez Nixon and Anna Clixte, and this year, was nominated 'Music Producer of the Year in The Bahamas' popular Elevation Awards.

Scott said, "I never thought that when the opportunity presented itself for me to go and do music full-time, I'd be where I am today, from living in rooms provided by a church, having to learn contentment and humility with whatever God gives you to be happy for it, to being blessed with a wholesome career and fulfilled life and love."

A multi-instrumentalist, Scott says that crossing over into production demanded a lot of his time and marketing. "Trial and error became a way of learning and to perfecting the method employed ... I am still perfecting it," he said.

After a year, he returned home to "tie loose ends," he said, which included ending a relationship. On his flight back to The Bahamas, he met the woman who would become his wife and mother of his two daughters.

"My wife, Deceya, a classically trained musician, is Bahamian-Jamaican and she, too, was moving to Nassau to begin a new chapter. Our story is one of fate, of course," he said.

After exchanging numbers, they learnt that her late mother was born on the same day as his father. "In some strange way it was like God was playing with us," Scott said.

In memory of his father, Wilbert Scott, he produced Thank You Lord, which did well on the gospel music circuit.

"In my journey, I have not forgotten the values instilled in me during my upbringing in Fellowship district. I have also had a lot of good male role models, from my dad, who was a deacon, to my primary-school teacher Herman Reid, and Devon Richards, a foundation drummer with We The People Band, all of whom helped mould me into the person who I am," he said.

His most recent work, The Choir Project, has been dubbed a 'comeback' for church choirs.

"As much as I used to play for choirs as a child in Jamaica, I never took a lot of it seriously, and I had to grow up very fast, especially when I began exploring music at the level of production and again with this project, which was my first time working on a choir album," he said. "I've just been here for 10 years, (so) I never knew the history of choirs recording being dormant as far back as the '90s. I was afraid to do the project based on the magnitude of work around it, and the pressure to deliver, but I am happy with the outcome."

Read the original post:

Junior Scott plants a firm foundation in The Bahamas - Jamaica Star Online

Related Posts

Comments are closed.