As a Canadian, it is my duty to know the names of every individual who has achieved even the slightest bit of fame, especially if they managed to do so south of the border. I tend not to reveal how proud I am of them but I do know who they all are. Or perhaps not. The number one single on the CHUM chart for the week of August 18, 1958 was by a gentlemen who I'd never heard of before going by the name of Jack Scott. I have no excuse as both a Canadian and a music obsessive but I had never heard of him until this past week.
Hailing from Windsor, Ontario, Giovanni Domenico Scafone Jr spent the first ten years of his life in Canada. Then, his family moved across the Detroit River to Hazel Park, Michigan where he would more or less remain for the rest of his life. While differences might be more noticeable now, it is likely that crossing the world's longest undefended border wasn't that big a deal, especially to a family that could still see the city and country they'd just left. At a time when families risked everything in order to cross the Atlantic for a better life, crossing a river was nothing. (In fact, it still is, especially if you have a bridge to aid you in your journey)
An Italian-Canadian-American of the time would have been expected to be into Frank Sinatra or Mario Lanza or the current chart topping smash on the newly established Billboard Hot 100 Domenico Modugno's "Volare (Nel blu, dipinto del blu)" (it only managed to peak at number two in Canada so we won't be dealing with it here). For all we know, Scafone did indeed dig them but his true love was heartbreaking country and western laments. Perhaps feeling that his given name might end up holding him back, he subsequently had himself re-christened as 'Jack Scott' just to make him seem as WASP-y as possible.
"My True Love", Scott's first hit, takes some getting used to. It isn't simply a slow song like "Please Don't Go Girl" or "Right Here Waiting" for horny teens at a junior high dance, it's a slow song. Dude, pick up the pace! Though running at a then-standard two minutes and forty seconds, it initially fails to keep the listener's attention for not even half its length. Gradually, however, it gets more tolerable. Fellow Windsor natives The Chantones do provide a welcome spark with their doo-wop backing vocals. While still plodding, it slowly builds into something rather impressive. Not exactly completely enjoyable but impressive all the same.
Jack Scott would go on to have five Top 5 hits in Canada as well as some more success north of the border. (Note: The Detroit-Windsor crossing is a rare example of Canada being to the south of the US. Sorry but it was necessary for me to explain the gag) Though the chart positions would being to slip during the early sixties, he nonetheless maintained a very respectable career as a singer-songwriter until his death in 2019. Plus, did I mention that he was Canadian and maintained close ties with his country of birth? I really should have known who he was even if his records aren't exactly to my taste.
Score: 5
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