Scott Joss was often praised as the "heir to the Bakersfield throne" because of his early association with
Tiny Moore and
Merle Haggard and his later affiliation with
Buck Owens and
Dwight Yoakam. Born in Long Beach and raised in Redding,
Joss was a native Californian whose roots ran deep. He learned to play fiddle from
Jana Jae, the one-time wife and fiddle player for
Buck Owens & His Buckaroos. Befriended by one of
Bob Wills' surviving
Playboys,
Tiny Moore,
Joss was encouraged to develop his talent on a professional level after winning numerous California State Fiddle Championships. In 1980, at the age of 18, he got the call from
Haggard. His first show as one of
the Strangers was at Carnegie Hall. Still a little green,
Joss returned to Redding to continue working on his performance skills before joining up with
Merle and the band on the road. While with
the Strangers,
Joss spent time with Bakersfield guitarman
Roy Nichols, who saw great promise in the young fiddle player.
Leaving the road and
Merle was a hard decision, but
Joss wanted to begin work on a band of his own. After moving to Sacramento, he hooked up with Dennis Barney, another California player from the early days. Barney, who became mentor and friend to the fledgling frontman, showed
Joss the ropes and became a member of his band. After playing around California for a while,
Joss was spotted by
Pete Anderson, who produced, arranged, led the band, and played guitar for
Dwight Yoakam. Bringing
Joss into the fold in 1988 allowed
Anderson to keep an eye on him and his career growth. Commuting between Sacramento and Los Angeles became a way of life for
Yoakam's fiddle player and harmony vocalist. On the road and in the studio,
Joss had a full-time job as a member of the Babylonian Cowboys. Still, whenever he was in Sacramento he would pull together Barney, brother-in-law Don Weeks, and some other players and work on his solo venture. Eight years after signing on with
Yoakam,
Anderson and respected L.A. producer/engineer/bassman
Dusty Wakeman (
Rosie Flores,
Dwight Yoakam,
the Lonesome Strangers, Reach Around) took
Joss into the all new Mad Dog Studios to start work on his first solo project.
Souvenirs was released in 1996 and hit Gavin's Americana chart with all the force of a fast moving train, landing at number seven. Top cuts included two
Jim Lauderdale songs, "Stay Out of My Arms," a traditional shuffle, and the anthemic "Doin' Time in Bakersfield." Also included was one
Joss original, "I Never Got Anywhere With You," which proved that
Scott Joss was indeed a worthy successor to
Buck,
Merle, and all the rest who created the Bakersfield sound.
–
Jana Pendragon, Rovi