Popular rhythm-and-blues singer Eddie Scott has been through some difficult times medically, and now that he has recovered, he is devoting his life to gospel music.

“When you go through tough times and serious operations, and come back, you just have that passion to give all your life to God,” said Scott, a 62-year-old Cocoa resident. “I know that God is going to take care of me. It was just time to concentrate on gospel.”

Scott performed his Motown act on multiple-band concert bills in stadiums before as many as 80,000 people, and as a headline act locally before packed audiences.

After moving from Melbourne to Miami at age 22, he sang rhythm-and-blues in the Cotton Club.

Blues legend Joey Gilmore and his band, TCB Express, invited Scott to tour with them as opening performer at their Florida. Jimmy “Bo” Horne later booked Scott to open for himself, Tyrone Davis and Al Green for more than two years.
Scott also performed at the Diamond Club in Deerfield, where he was the top act, doing several shows a week.
Returning to Brevard County, Scott began performing his Motown acts all over the Space Coast.
Scott and Joe Davis, another Melbourne talent, shared musical performances under the names of the “Sounds of the Drifters” and “The Final Touch Band,” the latter in which Scott was the lead vocalist.
Scott also performed his Motown Revue in Daytona Beach and Jacksonville. He met Edwin Butler of the band “The International Platters,” in which Scott was invited to travel overseas to perform with them.
After a year abroad, Scott returned to do numerous lounge performances in the Orlando area for more than two years at various hotels.
When he returned to Melbourne, Scott met Don “Tree” Reese, a former drummer with The Mamas and The Papas. Reese helped Scott form the popular local group Resouled, which backed Eddie’s Motown Revue Show. This routine kept Scott busy for more than three years at Buddy’s Restaurant and Lounge.
During his career, Scott has appeared at the Maxwell C. King Center for the Performing Arts in Melbourne, opening for James Brown; Aaron Neville; The Coasters; Earth, Wind & Fire; The Four Tops; The Ink Spots; and The Temptations.

Scott was named Spotlight Magazine’s “Entertainer of the Year” in 1999 and 2000 as well as Brevard County’s Favorite Vocalist in 2004 and 2005 at the Brevard Live Music Awards. But he says his roots are in gospel. He is the son of a Georgia Baptist minister, and most of his 11 sisters and four brothers sang in gospel groups.

The Eddie Scott Gospel Explosion is scheduled for 5 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 23 at the First Baptist Church of Cocoa Beach, 830 S. Atlantic Ave., Cocoa Beach.

“There is no set ticket price,” Scott said. Rather, people contribute a “love offering” of whatever they believe is appropriate.

He says among the other acts scheduled to perform are Evangelist CWM Gospel Singers, Sadie Patterson and the Berry Gospel Singers and The Mighty Gospel Keys band. Rev. Brenda Lee Heitzmann, who Scott calls a tremendous woman of God, will be among his special guests.

Scott works with a street ministry on the first and third Saturdays of each month in Sanford. Also, he is reaching out to the younger residents of his Cocoa neighborhood to help steer them down the right path in life and to “give them words of inspiration. There are a lot of lost kids out there,” Scott says. “We’re losing them to the streets really bad.”

Scott says he has a “good feeling” about “trying to do music that touches people’s lives. I’ve always had the spiritual feeling in me. I have a passion and love for people.”

Eddie Scott now is scheduling local gospel concerts to spread the word of hope and salvation. In February, he will perform at Florida Tech’s Gleason Performing Arts Center, at a date to be announced.

Contact him at 321-362-1149 or www.mreddiescott.com.