scott witte
Scott was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on October 26, 1958. He was raised in Wauwatosa, a suburb of Milwaukee. He began studying guitar at the age of eight. His first guitar was an Epiphone 3/4 size acoustic. In 1968 his parents bought him his first electric guitar, a Gibson SG Junior. At the age of 12 Scott formed a band with his friends and played loud, obnoxious music in his parents garage.
In his senior year of high school he studied music theory and started writing music for the first time. Scott and his friends formed a band called "The Seventh Circle" and recorded original music. Shortly after high school Scott began to drift away from the electric guitar.
In 1978 he discovered a recording on a small label called Takoma Records, featuring six and twelve string acoustic guitar by the founder of the label, John Fahey, also featuring Leo Kottke and Peter Lang. It lit a fire under him.
In 1979 Scott studied flamenco guitar for a year at the Milwaukee Conservatory of music, where he learned to use his fingers instead of a pick.
In 1980 he released his first album, "Sailor's Dream", which received air play and sold well through local retailers in the Milwaukee area. In 1981 Scott packed up and headed for southern California to further pursue his dream. He continued to play and sell his recordings.
In 1986 he moved north to the San Francisco bay area and lived in the small town of Penngrove for fifteen years. Then in 2002 Scott moved to Bellingham, Washington where he began recording material which would eventually be released in 2007 on his second album, "Sound Shadows".
Oddly enough, 26 years after the recording of his first album, "Sailor's Dream", a well known hip hop artist sampled an entire song off the album, added vocals and instruments, and released it on his album. In 2008, selections from "Sailor's Dream" are being released by a Chicago based label, Numero Group, on a CD featuring guitar soloists.
"Sailor's Dream" will also be re-released on CD in 2008.
Scott is 49, has two kids, and resides and in Birch Bay, Washington.