Boz Scaggs: The Smooth Rebel of Soul

The Note That Nudged Him

Boz Scaggs didn’t chase music—it crept into his bones like a slow Texas breeze. Born William Royce Scaggs on June 8, 1944, in Canton, Ohio, his primary motivator was curiosity. Moving to Plano, Texas, as a kid, he heard blues and R&B crackling through diner jukeboxes, a sound that hooked him at 12 when a pal handed him a guitar. Music wasn’t a plan—it was a itch, a way to unravel the world’s secrets one chord at a time.

A Life of Twang and Travel

Boz’s biography is a road map of restless reinvention. Raised by a traveling salesman dad and a homemaker mom, he bounced between schools, landing at St. Mark’s in Dallas. There, he met Steve Miller, jamming in The Marksmen before splitting for Europe in the ‘60s—Sweden, London—busking folk tunes. Back stateside, he married Carmella Storniola (1971-1980, two sons), then Donna Carmela (1992-present). A soft-spoken seeker, he’s blended grit with polish across decades.

A Career of Silk and Steel

Boz joined the Steve Miller Band (1967-1968) with Miller (guitar), Lonnie Turner (bass), and Tim Davis (drums), laying psychedelic bricks before going solo in ‘69. His Muscle Shoals stint birthed Silk Degrees (1976), with Toto’s David Paich and Jeff Porcaro as key sidemen—smooth soul gold. No flashy flings—his Duane Allman jam tales stirred more buzz. TV? Austin City Limits; film? The Dukes of Hazzard (2005) cameo. Awards? A 1977 Grammy nod for “Lowdown,” a lasting blue-eyed soul badge.

His biggest hits: “Lowdown” (Scaggs/Paich), a 1976 funk-soul glide; “Lido Shuffle” (Scaggs/Paich), a 1976 barroom boogie; “We’re All Alone” (Scaggs), a 1976 heartbreak hymn; and “Jojo” (Scaggs/Paich/David Foster), a 1980 jazzy strut. Controversy? Rare—he’s dodged scandal, though a 1990s label spat stalled releases. A 2021 COVID vax stance ruffled a few feathers—he kept crooning.

The Legacy Still Sings

Boz Scaggs is a velvet vagabond—blues, rock, soul stitched into silk. From Texas dives to supper clubs, his voice is a timeless whisper, cool as dusk and deep as the Delta.

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From the Brown County Music Festival in 2023