Tangerine Records Releases First Wide-Retail Reissue of Jimmy Scott’s Seminal 1963 LP "Falling In Love Is Wonderful"

Today, Tangerine Records has released the long-awaited reissue of Jimmy Scott’s seminal album Falling In Love Is Wonderful. While limited-run releases and unauthorized bootlegs have circulated among collectors for decades, this release marks the official homecoming of the album to the label where it began, and, for the first time since its original 1963 release, its availability at retail outlets on vinyl and streaming services worldwide.

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Scott held a special place in the heart of Ray Charles, who founded Tangerine Records in 1962 and immediately signed Jimmy to his label. Ray was a devoted fan, once stating, “Jimmy Scott has more pain and prettiness in his voice than any singer anywhere.”

Driven by a desire to bring Scott the audience he deserved, Charles personally oversaw every aspect of the project alongside producer Joe Adams. He set the concept, hand-picked the 10-track program of ballads with Scott, and played piano on every single track. “My concept was romance,” Charles said. “A romantic record you could listen to late at night with your lady. I wanted the kind of record you could play over and over again, where you wouldn’t be bored and the mood stayed steady.” Arranger Gerald Wilson noted that the record is “really a long and intimate conversation between Ray’s sensitive piano and Jimmy’s sensitive voice.”

The New York Times described Jimmy Scott as “the most unjustly ignored American singer of the 20th century,” noting that he “possessed what was arguably the most ravishing, penetrating and powerful vocal instrument in American popular music.” This power was evident upon the album's initial release in 1963. Legendary DJ and producer Joel Dorn recalled the overwhelming response when he played it on the radio: “In the seven years I was broadcasting, I never saw such a response. The phone lit up, requests came in like an avalanche. People called the station choked up with tears.”

However, the triumph was short-lived. Merely days after the album hit shelves, Scott’s former label falsely claimed they still had the singer "under contract for life." To avoid a legal entanglement for his fledgling label, Charles was forced to pull the album from circulation. For decades, the record remained a "buried treasure" among collectors. Despite its scarcity, its reputation grew over time as the few who had heard it became evangelists for Falling In Love Is Wonderful. Marvin Gaye, a devoted acolyte, found the album “calming, haunting, and just plain beautiful,” while JazzTimes called it “a masterpiece whose majesty rivals John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman and Sinatra’s In the Wee Small Hours.” Revisiting the album decades later, UNCUT called the album “angelic,” concluding, “this album is vital.”

Jimmy Scott’s unique artistry has earned him a devoted following among the most influential figures in music and film: David Lynch held such deep affection for Jimmy that he cast him to perform the song "Sycamore Trees" (which Lynch co-wrote) on screen for the Twin Peaks finale. Nick Cave requested Jimmy perform at his wedding. David Byrne, Flea, and Lou Reed recorded with him. The jazz royalty that championed Jimmy Scott includes Quincy Jones, Billie Holiday, who cited Scott as her favorite singer, and Nancy Wilson, who referred to him as “the master of the ballad form.” The Washington Post summed up the mystery of Jimmy Scott’s unjust obscurity by asking, “Why is he not a household word as widely known as the many celebrities who have come under his spell?”

Reflecting on the sessions, Scott remembered the creative synergy: “I don’t think we did more than two takes on any one tune. There wasn’t any overdubbing either. It was all the way live. The fiddlers were fiddling, Ray was playing, and I was singing, all at the same time.” Regarding the finished product, he remarked: “Ray produced probably the best record I ever made.”