We recently connected with Dennis Scott and have shared our conversation below.

Dennis, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Before we talk about all of your success, let’s start with a story of failure. Can you open up about a time when you’ve failed?

As a child actor I was came to understand what a “professional” is required to do and how to behave. I learned how to take directions and always tried to conduct myself properly. Of course, occasionally I had to be reminded of what those expectations were. One example of that occurred when I was hired to be part of a children’s choir on a Patti Page Christmas album. We were singing background parts on “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” and everything was going fine until we got to the “Rooty toot toots and rummy tum tums” part. For some reason that struck me as hilarious, and I had a laughing fit every time we tried to sing it. After several interrupted takes, I could tell that the producer was getting annoyed by my clowning. What I didn’t know was that my dad had arrived early to pick me up and was in the control room watching the session unravel because of me. He even heard the producer say, “If that kid doesn’t get hold of himself, he’s out of here!” Well, I managed to get through the job but on the way home my father and I had a LONG talk about what it takes to be a professional. It was clear that my work ethic needed a quick reboot – and I sure got one that day. Now, just like my computer, when things go haywire I reboot.

By the time I reached my senior year at college, I was still interested in being a professional entertainer and singer. At the same time, I was getting my certification to teach speech arts and English (in case my other plans were to fall through). Thinking I was ready for anything, I decided to produce an event that would showcase my talent. I dove into my savings to have charts and musical arrangement created for me. I hired a band, a conductor, and rented a space at the Playboy Club in New York City. I invited producers and agents to attend who I hoped would “discover” me. Friends and parents were also there for moral support. Doing a show like this was a dream come true and I felt that nothing could stop me. Unfortunately, things didn’t go as planned. Rehearsal with the band took longer than expected and I blew my voice out in the process. My singing faltered and my onstage delivery was awkward and ill prepared. The audience was kind, but I knew it was a disappointment to everyone – especially me. To this day, I can’t drive past where the event took place without feeling a little sick to my stomach.

I learned the hard way that you’re not always ready when you think you are. Now after years of experience and learning from others, my projects have been successful and satisfying. By surrounding myself with professionals (who know more than I do) I can be sure than my decisions are on solid ground.

That said, I still keep my teaching certification document in a nearby desk drawer. It never hurts to have a backup plan.

Dennis, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Two-time Grammy Award winning Songwriter/producer/writer/performer DENNIS SCOTT has left no corner of the children’s music industry unexplored. His songs have been performed by such diverse artists as Faith Hill, Ray Charles, Sugarland, Allison Kraus, The Muppets, Amy Grant, CeCe Winans, Trisha Yearwood, Donna Summer, Charlie Daniels Band, Shari Lewis, Jon Secada, Roberta Flack, Tanya Tucker, Gilbert Gottfried, Loretta Lynn, Ricky Skaggs, Ben Vereen and others. He’s won a Grammy, an Emmy and a Parent’s Choice Award and has been nominated for Christian music’s Dove award. You hear his work on radio, television, stage, audio books, home videos, recordings, and CD. He writes, produces, and composes custom songs and music for all aspects of the entertainment industry.

“I’ve always been an ideas person and music has always played a prominent role in my life,” says Scott. “I enjoy the creative process, so I’m constantly generating new ideas. At the same time, I like doing new projects for clients where I can contribute my own particular brand to the music.”

For the outgoing and animated Scott, who began his entertainment career at the age of 7 as an actor on Broadway and in television commercials, those challenges–and successes–come from the highly-specialized and lucrative field of children’s entertainment
In his first serious foray into the genre, Scott scored with a Grammy for his work as producer on Sesame Street Country (1981), a collection of country-flavored kid’s tunes. He has had nonstop assignments since, including projects for The BBC, National Child Safety Council, Sony Kids, Walt Disney Records, Random House, Hal Leonard, Scholastic, and the Abingdon Press. His work is also featured on video games and various interactive toys.

Scott-penned songs have been featured on television shows ranging from “Who’s the Boss” and “The Guiding Light” to “Fame” and “Hee Haw.” His “Always a Friend,” performed by Ray Charles on an episode of ABC-TV’s “Who’s the Boss,” generated an overwhelming number of inquiries to the show’s producers and Scott continues to receive mail from brides asking to use the tune in their weddings.

Scott wrote and produced the soundtrack for “Trollies Radio Show Sing-A-Long,” which resulted in combined worldwide sales in excess of one million units. The follow-up video, “The All New Trollies Musical Adventure” (for which he also provided the voice of lead character “Rock`n Troll”), garnered him an Emmy Award (Music Composer/Arranger with Lyrics). Scott also earned a Parent’s Choice Award for Best Video for Children for his “Ben Vereen’s Sing- a-Long.”

Scott’s song “Before You Grow” was personally chosen by Kathie Lee Gifford for inclusion on her 1997 Dove Award-nominated album “Lullabies for Little Ones.” The song has also been performed by country songstress Faith Hill on an all-star album “Big Country for One and All.” That project also featured The Charlie Daniels Band performing a Scott collaboration, “Playing in the Same Band.”

A native New Yorker, Scott relocated to Nashville following his work there on his Grammy winning “Sesame Street Country.” “Nashville has such a creative and closely-knit music community,” he says. “It has great recording studios, great talent and there’s usually a parking spot. Who could ask for more?”
Scott’s own studio serves as the command center for the controlled chaos you would expect from a man whose assignments range from producing a theme song for TV show to coming with a up parodies for a prominent corporation’s roast.

Dennis has served a music director for the PBS series “Noddy” for which composed and produced over a hundred original songs. Drawing on his experience in the theatre, Dennis enjoys writing music and lyrics that helps develop the show’s characters and move the action forward. He is also a contributing writer for “Sesame Street Live” and composed a new score for the “Clifford the Bog Red Dog” live touring show as well as Scholastic’s “Magic School Bus.”

Dennis wears yet another hat. For over ten years he has played with a successful Beatles tribute band known as The WannaBeatles. They have appeared on national television and were Grammy Finalist for their album, “Fab Fan Memoirs – The Beatles Bond.”

Dennis’ career took a pivotal turn when, after viewing a repeat episode of “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,” he embarked on an ambitious project to produce an album featuring Fred Rogers’ songs performed by celebrity artists. That work resulted in a Grammy award for “Songs from the Neighborhood – Music and Memories.” More awards came thirteen years later when Dennis created “Thank You, Mister Rogers – Music & Memories” featuring performances by Rita Wilson, Lee Greenwood, Sandi Patty, Kellie Pickler, Vanessa Williams, Jim Brickman, Jaci Velasquez, Micky Dolenz (of The Monkees), Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis, Jr (of The Fifth Dimension), The Cowsills, Tom Bergeron, and Jon Secada.

But for Dennis, it’s just another happy day at the playground. “When your childhood heroes are people like Danny Kaye, Jack Benny, and Jerry Lewis, you can’t help but have a silly side to you. Creating and producing music, particularly children’s music, allows me to be as silly and creative as I want to be… “Now that’s my kind of job description!”

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

My first job as a record producer was the result of a fearless “Yes I Can” moment. Having already written songs for a small children’s label, I took my finished product to Sesame Street Records (home to Jim Henson‘s iconic creations like Big Bird) to see if I could do some writing for them. They said “No, thank you.” I was halfway out the door when the president of the label said, “I tell you what. You can assist me in finding country artists to be guests on a new album we have in mind called, “Sesame Country.” It was around the time of the Urban Cowboy rage and country music was crossing over into pop territory. My “job” required that I commute into the New York city to Sesame Street’s offices and, without pay, call every big-name artist on the charts and find stars to sing duets with The Muppets. It took a long time and lots of of perseverance but eventually I was able to get Loretta Lynn, Crystal Gayle, Glen Campbell, and Tanya Tucker to come on board. Pretty exciting!

I hoped this project might also be my chance to contribute some of my original songs to the recording. Imagine my surprise when the boss ordered me into his office and asked me if I would like to produce the album. Up until then, the only music I had produced were demos of my own songs recorded on a a four track machine at my parent’s house. Lack of experience notwithstanding, I gave him a confident “Yes.” It was a risk but a calculated one. By surrounding myself with some of the most talented musicians, singers, and studio engineers in Nashville, we put together a widely acclaimed album that helped me to win my first Grammy award and develop a life-long friendship with none other than Caroll Spinney – the man who played both Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch. One final note 🎶 – Sesame Street’s theme song asks the musical question, “Can you tell me how to get to Sesame Street?” Well, I have the answer. It’s “Yes I can.”

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

Here’s a brief synopsis of how I came to win a Grammy award for producing a tribute album to th man known as “America’s Favorite Neighbor” – Fred Rogers, known by most people as “Mister Rogers.”

My bumpy “Road to Mister Rogers” began in 2004, long before the more recent rebirth of interest in the man known as “America’s Favorite Neighbor.” No one but Fred had ever recorded any of the 200 songs he composed for his daily children’s show. I wanted to produce an album that would feature well known artists singing reimagined versions of Fred’s songs. It took a year of phone calls, letters and begging to convince Fred’s company, Family Communications Inc, that “Songs From the Neighborhood – The Music of Mister Rogers” was an album that needed to be made. It was an uphill battle and sometimes I think they approved doing it just to get rid of me. But I took my cue from what Henry Ward Beecher, “The difference between perseverance and obstinacy is that one often comes from a strong will, and the other from a strong won’t.”

And this time persistency proved to be my pal. Fred’s team embraced the project and treated me like a member of the family. What followed were hundreds of hours reaching out to almost every artist in the music industry and coordinating the schedules of 12 busy celebrities, musicians, singers, and recording studios – I still have the legal pad with everybody’s name on it. Sometimes I thought I had finally bitten off more than I could chew but, after two years in the making, the album went on to win a Grammy award. More importantly, Joanne Rogers told me “Fred would have loved it.” That was all I needed to hear.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.dennisscott.net
• Facebook: https://www.Facebook.com/dennisscott338
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=dennis+scott+music+playlist
• Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/user-179220360

Image Credits

I am the rights owner to all the photos included