July 17

KATIE HEALEY:

Hello and welcome to the Disability Daily Podcast! I’m your host, Katie, and over the past couple years, I’ve worked on a 365-day calendar that recognizes different folks and key moments in disability history each day of the year. I’m turning this into a quick daily podcast, and I’m excited to share this with you!

From well-known figures and innovative inventions to unsung heroes and landmark legislation, each episode reveals how people with disabilities have played a crucial role in our society.

Please subscribe to the podcast on Podbean, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify to learn along with me each day. To see the calendar, visit accessiblehighered.com/calendar or see this episode’s show notes for the link.

And with that, let’s dive in!

Today we celebrate the life and legacy of Jimmy Scott, an extraordinary jazz singer whose unique, high contralto voice made him one of the most influential figures in the genre.

Born July 17, 1925, in Cleveland, Ohio, Jimmy Scott’s career defied convention from the start. His voice, otherworldly and haunting, became his signature sound—yet it wasn’t a sound anyone would expect. Scott was diagnosed with Kallmann syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that prevented him from reaching puberty. As a result, he stood at just 4’11’’ inches – lending him the nickname Little Jimmy Scott – until the age of 37, when he suddenly grew 8 more inches. His voice never deepened, and he retained a soprano-like range throughout his life. This unique condition gave him an otherworldly vocal timbre that would become instantly recognizable to jazz fans worldwide.

Scott’s voice was often described as “ambiguously gendered”, “eerie” and “ethereal" —fragile yet powerful. He was not only a master of phrasing and emotion but also an innovator, using his range to explore the deepest feelings of loss, love, and longing.

His 1992 album All the Way earned him a Grammy nomination for Best Jazz Vocal Performance. He sang for Dwight Eisenhower and Bill Clinton's presidential inaugurations and performed the song "Sycamore Trees” on the series finale of the hit TV show Twin Peaks, and was inducted into the R&B Music Hall of Fame.

In a PBS documentary on the history of jazz, Ray Charles said, “Jimmy had soul way back when people weren't using the word.”

Scott died in 2014 at the age of 88. His life and work were a testament to the power of individuality in music—a reminder that sometimes, the most unforgettable voices are the ones that don’t fit the mold.

Thanks so much for listening today! See the episode show notes for sources to learn more and to access the episode transcript.

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Thanks!