Singer, songwriter and guitarist William Royce “Boz” Scaggs, who performed with the Steve Miller Band in the 1960s and gained fame with several solo hits in the ’70s, including “Lido Shuffle” and “Lowdown,” will be the headline performer at The Paramount on Tuesday, June 26 at 8 p.m.
Scaggs will be playing songs from his new album, A Fool to Care. “I’m at a point where I’m having a lot of fun with music, more than ever,” Scaggs says about his latest work. “It’s like I’m just going wherever I want to go with it.”
That sense of fun and willingness to wander in any musical direction is evident in the album’s twelve tracks. The inspirational heart of those songs lies in the sounds of Texas, Louisiana and Oklahoma that played such a vital role in shaping Scaggs’ musical sensibility.
The music then evolves from the seductive New Orleans rumble of the title track to the wry social commentary of “Hell to Pay,” to the heartbreakingly wistful interpretation of The Band’s “Whispering Pines.”
As he did on his previous album, Memphis (2013), Scaggs worked with producer Steve Jordan and a telepathic core band consisting of Jordan on drums, Willie Weeks on bass, Ray Parker, Jr. on rhythm guitar and Jim Cox on keyboards.
“Steve works on a high energy level,” Scaggs says of his prized collaborator. “It’s relaxed and easy, but also very highly charged. His direction is laser-focused, and his playing is intense. It’s a whirlwind and he’s a strong leader, but it’s also lovely and loose and cool. That’s all a comfort to me. I’ve produced myself and I feel pretty solid in the studio, but it’s really nice for me not to have to do anything but help select the material and be free to be a singer and a guitar player.”
The result of this collaboration is a concert experience sure to be enjoyed by Scaggs’ fans and a new generation of music lovers.
For tickets to the show, go to www.paramountny.com or call 631-673-7300.
The Paramount is located at 370 New York Ave. in Huntington.
