Music man serves up hot numbers

Web posted Monday, January 15, 2001

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By Eric Williamson
Staff Writer

Harry Scott plays the organ at Bobby's Bar-B-Q Buffet in Midland Valley. The 79-year-old jokes that playing is something he learned to do for fun - ``and for tips.'' JENNIFER FULLER/STAFF

If barbecue had a theme song, it undoubtedly would be composed and performed by Harry Scott.

Go see him on a night he's really cooking at Bobby's Bar-B-Q Buffet, and you can get second, even third helpings of Rocky Top, Take Me Out to the Ball Game, or Laura's Theme.

``I play anything that comes into my head,'' the 79-year-old organist and mainstay at the Midland Valley restaurant said. ``I call it `music to have indigestion by.'''

The accomplished musician has been serving up hot numbers for the restaurant's customers for 17 years.

Mr. Scott, who lives in Aiken, said he knew he had a musical gift at a young age. In fact, he unwrapped it as a 6-year-old at Christmas. It was a ukulele.

As soon as he discovered he had a knack for the instrument, his father, who ran a theater in Vaucluse, had him perform for the audience between featured silent movies.

The performer, with age, moved on to higher-profile gigs.

In the 1950s, he played guitar as part of an ensemble for the CBS affiliate WRDW, a local AM radio station.

``We used to have a jamboree on Saturday's broadcast live from the Modjeska (a theater on Broad Street). When all the Grand Ole Opry stars would come to the auditorium, we would kick them off,'' he said. ``We made the bands sound good.''

One of the youngest but brightest stars of the program was a singer with area ties, Brenda Lee. She got her start at about age 8 on the jamboree program.

``I told her she wouldn't make it,'' Mr. Scott said, his face not giving away the jest. ``That little trick she did with her mouth, I said not to do it.''

Click on graphic for larger image

That ``little trick'' turned out to be the trademark yodel that helped make her famous.

Recognition from the jamboree led to other modest musical involvements, including a stint playing horn as part of a Holiday Inn lounge band, but paying the bills wasn't easy if you were a musician living in Aiken County.

Mr. Scott worked construction to make ends meet during his jamboree days. He went on to become a maintenance specialist at the Aiken hospital - both at its Richland Avenue location, which now is office space for the county, and for a shorter time at its current location on University Parkway.

His recognizability around the hospital eventually led him to Harry's Place, a gift shop he managed until his retirement in 1987.

Mr. Scott made a number of friends at the hospital, including Bobby Griffin. His pal and co-worker went on to start the much-frequented Bobby's Bar-B-Q Buffet.

``It's not just a barbecue place; it's an institution,'' the musician said plainly.

Mr. Scott's wife, Pansy - his bride of 57 years - was the first to join Mr. Griffin at the restaurant, agreeing to help out in the kitchen. On nights when Mr. Scott would pick her up from work, he would dally a bit, and began to play a piano that was stationed there.

When Mr. Griffin officially asked the musician to join him in his latest endeavor, Mr. Scott warned him in his acceptance, ``Bobby, you're creating a monster.''

These days, diners can catch Mr. Scott on Wednesday through Saturday. He estimates he knows a good thousand tunes or so, and the songs he plays are as diverse as the selection at the buffet.

Out of personal comfort, Mr. Scott prefers to keep his own organ at the restaurant rather than use someone else's, although he might give you a different reason: ``I furnish my own instrument, so if I get mad, I can say, `Bobby, I'm taking my organ and going home.'''

Mr. Scott is a Lowery man. He used to have a Thomas organ, but he had trouble finding replacement parts.

He works for tips and gladly takes requests. You name it, and he probably knows it - country, Latin, bluegrass and many other musical styles.

As of yet, he hasn't branched out into hip-hop.

His most requested number, he said, is The Tennessee Waltz. He said that's because many retired workers from Savannah River Site have roots in Tennessee.

All that playing, naturally, can work up an appetite. After a set, Mr. Scott has been known to indulge in a chipped barbecue sandwich.

``It's a lot of playing for an old coot like me,'' Mr. Scott said. He said sometimes the three-hour stints can make his fingers hurt, but he doesn't want to let the customers down.

He has cut back playing some, however. The musician retired last year as the organist for First Baptist Church of Vaucluse. But, he said, ``I'm still on hold if they need me.''

Reach Eric Williamson at (706) 828-3904.

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