Derrick Scott On A Mission For The Lord
Any dance that took place in Linstead, St. Catherine, during the early 1980s Derrick Scott was likely to be there. Stur Gav, Taurus International and Jah Love were just some of the sound systems he followed. But by mid-decade, the aspiring deejay got ‘saved’ and became a Christian. He has been singing for the Lord ever since.
Now living in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Scott recently released On A Mission, his second album. It was preceded by a five-song EP. His first album, Preacher Nowadays, was released in 2014.
Scott, 51, told OBSERVER ONLINE Newspaper that On A Mission is similar in message and direction to his debut. “Both have originals and traditional gospel songs. However, the production is more on point to where I am heading,” he said. Zion is a Holy Place, is a medley of gospel favorites, and the standard Amazing Grace, are the traditional cuts from On A Mission. A spiritual take on the 1971 Freddy McKay reggae classic, Picture on the Wall, is also included.
Scott is the younger brother of McKay, a talented singer who died at age 39 in 1986. Dennis Brown, John Holt and his brother are his biggest musical influences. “As a bigger brother who was involved in music professionally, I studied all Freddy’s songs and always enjoyed performing,” said Scott. The Linstead Derrick Scott grew up in was a musical hotbed. Rocksteady great Phyllis Dillon is from the St. Catherine market town, so too Joseph Hill and the Soul Defenders Band which played at Studio One in the early 1970s. The teenage Scott was more into Josey Wales and Lieutenant Stitchie, but after his conversion, he concentrated solely on the Word and recording inspirational music. Moving to South Florida in 1996, he joined the El Shadai Pentecostal Church where his brethren encouraged him to record, which resulted in Preacher Nowadays.
While he respects the boundaries of traditional gospel, Scott does not limit his sound. “Even if I am covering a traditional song, I do it with a beat and melody that everyone can relate to, and once the music appeals to young people, they will get the message in the lyrics,” he said.
Derrick Scott’s self-produced On A Mission was released on his DScott label.
The Mission Ignited
lt had been two years since Derrick Scott released his first album, Preacher Nowadays. For his follow-up, he wanted to show his growth as a singer and artist. He believes he achieves both through On A Mission . “This album was done with more instrumentation and arrangement,” he said. Scott wrote six of the 10 songs on the set which he maintains is important “because I have a message to deliver and I go straight to the point with my originals.”
On A Mission was launched at Unity New Testament Church Of God, Lauderdale Lakes in South Florida, on Saturday November 12, 2016, where Scott has been a member for many years. What A Weeping, God Have Your Back and A Stranger are among the originals; he covers traditional favorites such as Amazing Grace and does a spiritual rendition of Rod Stewart’s Have I Told You Lately.
Scott, 51, is from Linstead, the St Catherine market town that has an impressive reggae history. His older brother was Freddy McKay, a singer best known for the classic song Picture On The Wall and the 1976 festival song winner Dance Dis Ya Festival.
In his youth, Scott was a big dancehall fan and admired singers like John Holt and Dennis Brown. But by the mid-1980s, he became a Christian and changed his tune to gospel. His sound, he stressed, is distinctly contemporary.
“The mission right now is to send a message through my music, to uplift the spirit of the people and bring an awareness of the Almighty to their hearts. That’s why I focus on the melody and the music to go with the lyrics so I can reach the young and the old,” Scott explained. “Even if I am covering a traditional song, I do it with a beat and melody that everyone can relate to, and once the music appeals to young people, they will get the message in the lyrics.”