Jimmy Scott

His hauntingly high singing voice comes from a rare physical disorder and his heartfelt performances reveal a life of tragedy. Jilted by the music industry and by fellow jazz greats, Jimmy Scott toiled in obscurity for ecades – until he reclaimed the airwaves and the hearts of audiences worldwide. Follow Jimmy Scott's incredible odyssey through success, failure and rediscovery.

Best known for his impossibly high singing voice, enigmatic jazz legend Jimmy Scott has been called "the most unjustly ignored American singer of the 20th century." "Jimmy Scott: If You Only Knew" is a personal and meditative portrait of Scott, his odyssey of loss and redemption, and the most intimate document of Scott's life to date. Born one of ten children in 1925, Scott's early years were filled with devastating hardships. As a teenager, Scott was diagnosed with Kallmann's Syndrome, a hereditary condition which kept his body - and signature voice -- from developing beyond boyhood. At the age of 13, an event occurred which forever changed Scott's life. Scott's mother, the children's' sole guardian, was killed in a tragic accident. Scott and his nine siblings were separated and sent to foster homes.

Scott's loss of his mother and consequent loss of family provides the theme around which "If You Only Knew" centers. Rare archival photos, moving concert footage, and extensive interviews intertwine to create a document of Scott's lifelong attempt to reunite his family and to find closure through his art. First time feature documentarian Matthew Buzzel has created a piece which, stylistically and thematically, complements and mirrors Scott's life and work beautifully. "If You Only Knew", like Scott's music, is moody, melancholy, and heartbreakingly bittersweet.

"If You Only Knew" aired on PBS on the Independent Lens Series.

Directed by: Matthew Buzzel

Produced by: Brian Gerber

Award

Audience Award 2004

PBS Independent Lens