BLUES NOMADS

Blues Acoustic Roots & Blues Zihuatanejo Mexico

About BLUES NOMADS

Acoustic Blues Artists, Minnesota Blues Hall of Fame 2021, Best Performer, original songs, acoustic and slide guitar, rack harmonica, percussion with 3 cajons, a foot bass and a highhat, pl ...

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Members

  • Don Scott - Guitar, Slide, Vocals, Harmonica
  • Rosanne Licciardi - Cajons High Hat, Foot Bass

Press

Blues Man Paid His Dues, Gets His Dues: Don Scott inducted into Minnesota Blues Society's Hall of Fame. By Daniel Vierck Special to The Free Press Dec 25, 2021 Struck with an obsession for blues music at 15 years old, Minnesotan guitarist and singer Don Scott has steadfastly taken the history of blues music and his role as a sort of missionary very seriously. “Growing up in middle class America in southeast Chatfield (Minn.), there were not even any Black people living in my town. History books had written out a lot of their struggles,” says Scott, who was recently inducted into the Minnesota Blues Society’s Hall of Fame. “Being white and trying to spread this music around in smaller towns and stuff — I didn’t play much in Minneapolis — but being the messenger for this music has been satisfying for me. That’s what we are, you know? Obviously we’re not the creators.” Scott is a Vietnam veteran who deployed in ‘67 and returned severely wounded with burns on 60% of his body. Out of recovery and after slogging through his military commitments in Kentucky, Scott committed himself to performing, writing and singing. Scott made his name playing with The Dust Bowl Blues band, which cemented him as a sought-after performer and established him as, at the very least, an honorary Mankatoan. Michael Baumann, former owner of The Wine Cafe (where Scott regularly performed), remembers that era of Scott’s performances. “In the 1970s I used to go to The Square Deal bar where the Dust Bowl Blues Band played every year on St. Patrick’s Day (although they were a regular band there),” Baumann says. “Somewhere around 2008 we talked Don into bringing the band back, so I believe it was the Dust Bowl Blues Band’s 34th reunion. The place was so packed you couldn’t get in the front or back door. What was amazing was, I believe every former bar/club owner that was still alive from Mankato showed up from The Hurdy Hurdy (Ron Doty), The Square Deal (Jimmy Lyons), The Burgundy House (Craig Woodward), just to name a few.” As revered as The Dust Bowl Blues band was, Scott went solo. In the ‘90s he began to travel extensively. He spent significant time in the Mankato area but also lived in Arizona and California, and toured through Europe, Asia and Mexico. Throughout the next 30 years, he played solo frequently but would partner up here and there and currently plays with percussionist Rosanne Licciardi. While he never went disco or rap-rock, he’s found plenty of room to grow within the blues. “I branched out to other artists like Etta Baker. She was a purveyor of what they call the ‘Piedmont Style’ of blues. One of her records that really touched me was ‘Railroad Bill,’ which was all instrumental. I started doing some of that stuff. I always like the Chicago stuff. Zydeco music? I like that. Just all the roots of the blues music. And let’s face it, most music — if not all — is based on blues music.” In October 2021 Don Scott was inducted into The Minnesota Blues Society’s Hall of Fame. Steve Leutgeb, current president of the organization, says that membership dipped through the pandemic but is sitting at about 400 strong and regaining momentum. “The Minnesota Blues Society has been ‘Keeping the Blues Alive’ since 2002,” Leutgeb says. “Our mission is to preserve, commemorate, educate, celebrate and promote the past, present and future of blues music in Minnesota.” The organization sponsors a number of programs such as harmonica workshops for kids. They are also an affiliate of the Blues Foundation in Memphis. The Hall of Fame event is their biggest of the year. Talking about his induction, Scott made special mention of his friend, the late prominent Mankato attorney and blues aficionado, Mark Halverson. “That accident was a tragedy and I’m still stunned as to what happened there,” Scott says. “He was instrumental in getting my name considered. He said, ‘Here’s this guy who’s been at it for 50 years playing in places that have never heard the blues before.’ I salute him for that.” This induction is only Scott’s most recent of many accomplishments. There are Hollywood blockbusters with fewer and less interesting plot points than his life and career (not to mention worse soundtracks), but by all accounts, his perspective is balanced and grounded. “Being on the same stage as Spider John Koerner? He was inducted the same day I was and he should’ve been inducted a long time ago! The list of the people in that hall of fame is quite illustrious. I feel honored and humbled to be a part of that.”

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Influences

Sonny Terry, Brownie McGee, T'Bone Walker, Count Basie, Big Bill Broonzy, Etta Baker, Richard " Hacksaw" Harney