Scott Shea comes by his talent as singer/songwriter and music storyteller honestly.
The son of legendary guitarist Red Shea – known for his distinctive pick work and memorable leads for Gordon Lightfoot – Scott was immersed in music from the earliest of ages. He wrote his first songs when he was nine, composing melodies and verses in the back seat of his father’s car where he found the solitude and resonance of the guitar inspiring. By the time he was 12, he was garnering public speaking awards related to, not surprisingly, storytelling, and in his teens was winning national songwriting competitions.
In the 1990s, Scott and his brother formed a band known as The Shaes. They attracted industry attention and landed shows with some of Canada’s best acts, before the group went their separate ways.
Shea’s debut solo album, Let it Storm, was developed during a reflective period following his father’s death, and composed on the same guitar his father used in all of the early Lightfoot hits, including If You Could Read My Mind and Carefree Highway.
It is an emotionally charged, sometimes heartrending album that pays homage to the foundational essences of songwriting.
The songs were recorded at the renowned Arlyn Studios in Austin, Texas, and produced by Gordie Johnson of Big Sugar.
The album features Willie’s sister Bobbie Nelson on keyboard and her son Freddie Fletcher (Johnny Cash, Billy Joe Shaver, Austin City Limits) on drums. Scott will be touring his record across Canada this spring as an acoustic trio with Adam Dobres on guitar (Ruth Moody, Wailin’ Jenny’s) and Blake Palm on stand-up bass.
Scott’s songs have been categorized as folk/roots/Americana with the emphasis on folk/roots, and compared to an unplugged Fleetwood Mac or Crowded House, lyrically. With the blood of his father running through his veins, it’s not surprising that instrumentally he has been compared to Lightfoot. That being said, it is hard to compare him to anyone. Scott Shea’s music remains resolutely his own.
Shea will play Studio Live Sunday, April 19 at 8 p.m.
Tickets are available in advance for $15 at Bop City Records in Courtenay, Blue Heron Books in Comox and Rider’s Pizza in Cumberland, or at the door for $20. Studio Live is located at 2679 Beaufort Ave. in Cumberland.