Boz Scaggs, or William Royce Scaggs, came into the public eye as a musician in the 1960s. He was born in Canton, Ohio, and grew up in Texas. His nickname, Boz, a far cry from William, developed while he attended school in Texas. A friend gave him the nickname “Bosley.” It was also at a young age that his musical relationship with Steve Miller began. The two met at St. Marks School and later attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison together. On August 17, this multi-talented music legend performs at the Crown.

Scaggs had a brief stint playing rhythm and blues across Europe. In 1967 he returned to the states to live in San Francisco. In 1968 he rejoined Steve Miller as a part of the Steve Miller Band. In the same year, he also experimented with a solo career and as the guitarist and backup vocals for Mother Earth. From 1976-1981 Scaggs recorded Silk Degrees, which reached #2 album in the U.S. He also recorded hits such as “Low Down” and “We’re All Alone.” He continued to produce incredible music for decades. He took a brief break in recording in 2008 but came back strong with a tour featuring Donald Fagen and Michael McDonald. This year, he continues to delight audiences with his 2016 tour across the United States. Boz Scaggs’ latest tour promotes his latest album, A Fool to Care. 

This new album features guests such as guitarist Reggie Young and steel guitarist Paul Franklin.  Bonnie Raitt duets with Scaggs as well as playing slide guitar for the album. Lucinda Williams, whom has also worked with Scaggs previously adds her voice to the incredible line up as well. This album is meant to pair with the album Memphis. Scaggs suggests that a coming album could weave the albums together in a trilogy. 

From the very beginning, Scaggs’ style has been influenced by the traditional sounds of Texas, Louisiana and Oklahoma. While all very different, each of these styles embraces history, family and a range of powerful emotions. What Scaggs brings to the table is an incredible sense of fun. His passion and experience combine to create a once in a lifetime show. Each song is performed with the emotion electricity of a first performance with the technical skill that only comes from years of practice. He describes his current tour by saying, “I have a great band of extraordinary musicians and it is a high energy show. I feature my musicians as soloists. We do hits and more recent work in a Memphis vein. I always do a variety of things. Sometimes I get requests for blues songs.” He adds that some of his performance will feature classic songs from the 70s. 

Over the decades Scaggs has developed a unique style that is accessible and enjoyable for everyone. With a career reaching back to the 60s, there will certainly be lifelong fans in the audience. His passion keeps every performance as fresh as when he first started performing. For this reason, his concerts are also perfect for first-time listeners.  These recent years have been as busy as ever. “We do more than 90 shows a year. It is fun and positive and music that people recognizes as well as some surprises,” Scaggs says. 

When he is not performing, Scaggs stays plenty busy. He and his wife own and operate a vineyard in nothern California. “We travel. I cook. We garden and tend our fruit trees and spend tme with friends and that is pretty much what we do,” he said. “It’s a good life.”

The Boz Scaggs tour stops in Fayetteville on August 17. The concert starts at 7:30 p.m. at the Crown Theatre. The Theatre is located at 1960 Coliseum Dr. Tickets range from $34.75-$79.75. For more information or to purchase tickets visit the following site: http://www.crowncomplexnc.com/events/detail/boz-scaggs.