Sunday, August 08, 2021

Scott Engel: Kathleen

This is very American and very 1958, and it's not a bad record, especially when you learn that the singer was only 15.


And Scott Engel, of course, grew up to become Scott Walker, the coolest man of the coolest decade we have ever experienced.

Youthful fame can be a burden for a musician. Ricky Nelson struggled with the transition to being Rick Nelson - it's what his song Garden Party is all about.

I've seen it argued that Steve Marriott's West End success as the Artful Dodger made him worry about authenticity in later life, explaining some of the strange turns his career took.

Some are luckier: Kate Bush's record company left her to study and write songs for some years before they launched her with Wuthering Heights. And young Scotty Engel had the sense to come to Swinging London to reinvent himself.

Meanwhile, Aksel Rykkvin, the best treble you've ever heard, is training as a baritone.

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