New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Scott Fagan's debut album, 'South Atlantic Blues,' is a genuine lost classic -- a mystical, mythical and deeply soulful masterpiece. Recorded when Scott was just 21 years old, virtually homeless and with pennies to his name, it was released in 1968 on Atco Records but remained obscure, confounded by a series of frustrating near-misses. From being mentored by Doc Pomus to being discovered by Jasper Johns, Scott's incredible story and music unfolds on 'South Atlantic Blues,' remastered and reissued for the first time ever on CD and vinyl November 20th on the Saint Cecilia Knows label in association with Scott Fagan's own lil'fish records. The vinyl and CD release will be distributed in the U.S. by Light In The Attic.
'South Atlantic Blues' is steeped in delicate psych, soul and resonant acoustic guitars "that stroke and stone you to the core" (Shindig Magazine). It's an epic song cycle about Fagan's hard-scrabble life in the Virgin Islands, where he was raised and lived until 19 before returning to his birthplace of New York City.
A teenage prodigy, mentored and managed by songwriters Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman in the Brill Building, Scott recorded early material for Columbia and Bert Berns' BANG label before signing with Atco. He would later compose 'Soon,' the first rock opera produced for Broadway, and cut an album for RCA with then-girlfriend Vicki Sue Robinson providing backing vocals.
In 1969, artist Jasper Johns discovered 'South Atlantic Blues' in a cut-out bin, fell in love with the record, and used it as the inspiration for three artworks, known as 'Scott Fagan Record.' The pieces are now housed in the permanent collections of MOMA, the Met, the
National Gallery of Art and the Walker Art Center.
Born on 52nd street in New York, Scott was the son of a sax player and singer who fraternised with jazz greats. That familial connection with music would come full circle when Fagan became aware that he was the biological father of songwriter Stephin Merritt of the Magnetic Fields. They did not meet until the New York premiere of a documentary about Doc Pomus in 2013. A conversation between the two is included in the liner notes of the CD release of 'South Atlantic Blues.'
The initial pressing of the reissued 'South Atlantic Blues' comes in a limited edition, hand-numbered, 180-gram weight vinyl with a reproduction of Jasper Johns' 1970 lithograph, 'Scott Fagan Record,' as cover art. The CD edition comes packaged with extensive liner notes, rare photos, and bonus audio material including Scott's original 1964 demo for Pomus and Shuman. Saint Cecilia Knows also released acclaimed 2011 Mickey Newbury box set, 'An American Trilogy.'
