Frank Scott Musical Arrangements

Collection

Identifier: Mss 232

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The Frank Scott Music Arrangements Collection is a supplement to an earlier donation by his widow, Audrey Roseland Scott. It consists almost exclusively of musical arrangements done by Frank Scott to be performed by his orchestra in California that he had until his death in 1995. The earlier donation has been processed as Mss 195, and although it includes some music arrangements it primarily consists of correspondence, business records and other documents regarding his life and career. The Arrangement Series contains 273 individual arrangements that vary as to what they contain. Most include individual instrument parts and a conductor’s score. Only a few are not very complete or are copies of commercial arrangements. The collection has been arranged alphabetically by title. In folder one are copies of three “master” lists that came with the collection. One list gives “Big Band Instrumental Arrangements” and whether 4 saxes & 5 brass, 5 saxes & 8 brass, or both. Another list is for 7-piece orchestra arrangements. The 10-piece orchestra arrangements listing also lists which ones have 4 saxes & 5 brass.

Some music parts were in individual music folders, by instrument, reflecting the last music that was used by the band. These parts were assembled by title and placed in the alphabetical sequence. One music folder was retained as part of the collection, which is embossed with “Frank Scott Orchestra.”

Dates

1970s-1990s

Creator

Scott, Frank. (Person)

Access

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

Copyrights

Copyrights to this collection are held by the Institute for Regional Studies.

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. He led this orchestra until his death in 1995. At the time of his death he had arranged over 7,000 songs.