Frank Scott Photograph Collection

Collection

Identifier: Photo 2058

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The Frank Scott Photograph Collection was organized into four series: Frank Scott, WDAY Radio, Frank Scott’s bands, and Subject files. The images span from his youth in Fargo, N.D. and at WDAY Radio to his bands that performed in California and his association with Lawrence Welk. The collection consists of 91 images, both color and gelatin silver, 8 x 10 inches and smaller. The Frank and Audrey Scott papers have been processed as Mss 195. The Frank Scott Series includes a nice series of images from the last dance held at Festival Hall on the campus of North Dakota State University, the evening before it was demolished in 1982. They include images of Frank Scott, the band he directed, entertainers and various images of the large crowd in attendance. Mr. Scott played one of his arrangements with the Fargo-Moorhead Symphony Orchestra and there are several views of him, the conductor and the orchestra. There are several files of Scott at the piano and portraits spanning from youth to shortly before his death. The “with people” file includes Scott posing with North Dakota Governor Bill and Jean Guy (1991), Quentin Burdick, Lois Childers placing cake on a piano while Frank is playing, and a group of men and women visiting in living room, likely in California. Seated by a large drum is Audrey Remme, his future wife.

The WDAY Radio Series includes a number of very interesting images of Scott and other performers at the radio station, both in the studio and while on the road. In one scene Frank Scott is shown arranging music at his desk, likely from the 1940s; as well as a view of the “A” arrangements he had done laid out on an office floor. There are two shots of Scott and WDAY pianist Pat Kelly and another series of two images with two men, one dressed in a tuxedo. The public performances file includes snapshots of various WDAY entertainers while on the road, in a bus, the band members, and two images of entertainers from WDAY’s 25th anniversary, circa 1947. The studio file contains primarily images of WDAY entertainers, some standing before a microphone. There is also one photograph of Don Roseland playing the piano surrounded by WDAY employees (1949-1950). The Frank Scott Bands Series consists of views of his various bands or bands he conducted, both in North Dakota and California. In some, the band is performing and Scott is at the piano. The California images are taken mostly in the Palm Desert-Rancho Mirage-Palm Springs area country clubs. Most show the band performing and one view of the audience. Frank Scott is playing the piano in several of them. Many of the images are in color including a series of his Frank Scott Big Band playing at the Fargo Holiday Inn in 1975. The Subject Files Series contain a variety of images related to Frank Scott. There are photographs of the Kenny Jones and the Streamliners band, the Bob Crosby Orchestra, and an unidentified band but likely in the F-M area. Laura Campbell was Frank Scott’s piano teacher and there is a photograph of her seated at a grand piano in a home, from the 1930s. Frank Scott’s father, Frank R. Scott, was president of Merchants National Bank & Trust Co. in Fargo for which there are a several exterior and interior views of the building on Broadway. One interior view shows the bank celebrating its 50th anniversary with floral bouquets on counters and floor, many photographs on display and two men standing in the center of the lobby, likely one of them being Frank R. Scott. The Lawrence Welk Orchestra file includes portraits of Frank Scott at the piano, with Lawrence Welk, Myron Floren and George Cates. There is a formal orchestra portrait and a snapshot of Frank playing the piano for Norma Zimmer who is singing. A humorous formal photograph shows Dick Kesner, George Thow and Norm Bailey around Rocky Rockwell who is trying to tear up a musical arrangement. The text bubble above Rockwell reads "Another !!?? Frank Scott arrangement.” Finally there is a shot of Frank Scott and Jim Baccus with two cast members of West is the Land, a musical written and composed by Baccus and Scott and performed at Fargo. The two musical performers are not identified.

Dates

1930s-1990s

Creator

Scott, Frank. (Person)

Access

The collection is open under the rules and regulations of the Institute.

Copyrights

Biography

The youngest of three sons of Frank Roy Scott, Sr. and Alice Wilson Scott, Frank Roy Scott, Jr. was born in Fargo on June 21, 1921. Educated in the Fargo school system, he graduated from Central High School in 1939. He entered the engineering program at North Dakota Agricultural College (NDAC) that fall, but left school in 1940. Music, not engineering, had been Frank’s calling from the time he was very young. He began taking piano lessons when he was eight years old, and he led a band and composed and arranged his first songs at age 12. He also learned to play the guitar, banjo, ukulele, and harpsichord. When Frank left NDAC, he moved with his new wife, Jeanette Daniels Scott, to Cleveland, Ohio, and joined the orchestra of Paul Simms. While in Ohio Frank and Jeanette had their first child, Douglas. They returned to Fargo in 1944 and he began his twelve-year career as the music director and pianist for WDAY radio. During that period he scored over 2,500 arrangements for WDAY while composing music for community theater groups and conducting local ice shows. Frank and Jeanette had three more children while living in Fargo: Sally, Todd, and Frank Roy Scott, III. In 1956 the family relocated to southern California, where Frank became an arranger and accompanist for the Lawrence Welk Show. He also assisted the production staff and furnished programming ideas. He worked with many stars including Pat Boone, Debbie Reynolds. Glen Campbell, Liberace, Myron Floren, and Norma Zimmer. He arranged thousands of songs and composed his two most famous songs, Apples and Bananas and The Moment of Truth, while with the Welk show. He remained with the show until 1969, when he and Jeanette returned to Fargo. Frank continued to work with music in Fargo, teaching an arranging course at NDSU for a year, organizing a big band, and continuing to arrange music. He also worked for a time as a real estate agent for the Arneson Company. In the late 1970s Frank and Jeanette moved back to southern California. Jeanette died in 1979. In the 1980s Frank remained active in music and organized an orchestra that included such musicians as Art Depew, Don Shelton, and Arnold Fishkind. In 1985 he hired Audrey Roseland as the vocalist for his orchestra in Palm Desert, California. She also was a Fargo native and worked for Frank at WDAY in the 1940s. In 1993 they were married. Frank Scott led this orchestra until his death in 1995. At the time of his death he had arranged over 7,000 songs. His widow continues to live in the Palm Desert area.