Bio

Thad started playing music at the age of 9. OK, that's not quite true. He tried to play guitar when he was 7 but those strings hurt his precious little fingers. Piano was much less painful, so he stuck with that for a couple of years, adding the alto saxophone to his arsenal when he was 11. At the age of 13, after playing his first improvised solo at one of his school's jazz band concerts , he decided he wanted to pursue music as a career. He attributes this decision to hearing all the girls screaming for him afterwards. His parents, Chuck and Anna, recognized the irreversibility of this realization and discovered the renowned Houston, Texas arts magnet high school, The High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. Understanding their son's sincere desire to make girls scream, they insisted on making it possible for him to attend, with a 90 minute commute every day. It was there that he had the great privilege of studying under Robert Morgan and Warren Snead and playing with the likes of Billy Harper, Charlie Rouse, Lew Soloff, Marvin Stamm, Kenny Wheeler, Jim Snidero, Randy Brecker, Eliane Elias, Bob Mintzer and many more. In 1988, he was selected to be lead alto in the Texas All-State Jazz Band, performing alongside Roy Hargrove and HSPVA classmate drummer Chris Dave.

Thad next attended the University of North Texas majoring in jazz performance and minoring in rapid hair loss. After a few years enjoying the lab band scene, he got together with a bunch of his friends in a funk band called Whitey. In 1994, after 4 years of touring the Southwest and having way too much fun and getting into way too much trouble with screaming girls, he moved to Austin. He quickly plugged himself into the music scene, playing and recording with dozens of bands in the area, including The Naughty Ones, T.D. Bell, The Golden Arm Trio, Mr. Fabulous and Casino Royale, and Rotel and the Hot Tomatoes. His educational roots in the big band genre allowed him to perform as lead alto with numerous big band projects in Austin, namely the Tony Campise Big Band and the Monster Big Band.

During his professional career, he has also had the pleasure and honor to work with Aretha Franklin, Dr. John, Delbert McClinton, George Porter, Tab Benoit, Cyril Neville, Taj Mahal, Elvin Bishop, Irma Thomas, and many more. In both 2001 and 2002, Thad had the dubious distinction of performing at the White House with Rotel and the Hot Tomatoes during the Bush administration, after which much post-trauma therapy was required.

In 2005, he joined the Marcia Ball Band and was her saxophonist for nine years. Scott lives in New Orleans where he is currently working with two awesome bands - Lena Prima and Snake and the Charmers as well as developing original music for his own cd.

Trumping his musical career, however, is Thad's greatest accomplishment in life - the successful (thus far…) raising of his daughter Sidney Ellen Scott, who is in college.