CPL Scott Brown (USMC, OIF Veteran)
“Make sure to be honest with yourself, about if that’s really what you want to do with your life - to make music. It takes a commitment - a tremendous, thick-skinned commitment of being the first one to get there and the last one to leave, doing what you want to do even if you have to work twice as hard as anybody else ever did”
There resides in every single person the ability to create, and that reality is an exponentially magnificent soul quality we shouldn’t shun. What about the hard-charging Marine, the killer bulldog that takes out the enemy with no prejudice, only the mission in mind? Warfare is a creative quality as well and when the individual mind is taken out of that context, that’s when battles are lost and missions are compromised. It’s the singular creative action of any high-quality individual that chooses to push through fear, jump on the enemy grenade, take out the fortified emplacement against overwhelming odds, fight when others are bogged down in trepidation. Art has a place in everything. Not only did Scott Brown carry these qualities as a young Marine, but those same places in his mind contained the incredible gifting of another art-form. Music.
When Scott finally decided to leave the structured, rule-bound environment of the United States Marine Corps, he knew his lifeblood was the same guitar that had given him true peace while serving his country. Those six strings became an extension of his existence, and through those steel strings he knew in his heart of hearts that there was some special vitality self-contained. The endurance and work ethic taught by the Corps would give birth to a career that very few have realized. While others toed the line around him or half-heartedly pursued their artistic giftings, Scott would strive after his pursuit of music with an undying fervor some would call crazy or irrational. Years later, this ferocity of pursuit has led to an award-winning vocation as the frontman of Scooter Brown Band; a role that has taken him everywhere from the reddirt small stages of Texas country to the big time of the Grand Ole Opry. Still, no part of this journey has been easy and the path has often been fraught with self-doubt, temptation to take the easier route, even possibly giving up that dream. Scott’s story is fascinating, his legacy still being written as a testament to honor, courage, commitment, the undying qualities necessary not only to make it as a Marine; but also as a husband, father, and provider. We’ve already said enough though. Here’s Scott Brown with an education on the odyssey from Marine to musician.
Can you talk about how you grew up?
SB: My parents divorced when I was four or five years old. My dad had custody of my sister and I after they split up. We grew up with him in Littleton, Colorado but we were still able to see my mom during visitations. My father was a hard-working, middle-class guy and eventually we had a stepmom come into our lives. Both my sister and I played a lot of sports. I played baseball and she was a softball player. We spent a lot of time in athletics along with hiking, camping, and just enjoying the great outdoors.
What led you into the Marine Corps?
SB: I knew from the time I was 10-years-old that I was going to join the military. I initially was going to join the Army because I watched so many shows about Army Rangers (laughs). I went to the Army recruiter when I was of age and when I walked into his office I noticed he had a bit of a beer gut. This guy was not a good example of what an Army recruiter should look like. His pant leg was hiked up past his sock like he’d been sleeping in his uniform, and he was smoking a cigarette. As soon as I walked in he said, “Hey man, I’ve got to go. I have something that I need to do. Could you wait here for a little bit?” I told him I’d wait but a Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant came walking around the corner about that same time. His pants were tightly creased and he was super jacked (muscular). He asked me what I was doing. I told him I was waiting on the Army recruiter to return. He looked at me seemingly puzzled and said, “Do you want to look like that dude or do you want to look like me?”
I told him I wanted to look like him (laughs). He told me to come into his office. I had already signed up for the Marine Corps before the Army recruiter ever got back (laughs). When the Army recruiter finally got back he wanted to know why I was in the Marine Corps office. I told him I was going to join the Marines. I was actually one of a few Marines I knew that was accepted into Ranger School but I didn’t end up getting to go, due to the war in Iraq kicking off. I was pretty excited about the course and I was close to being headed to Fort Benning for jump school. It just didn’t happen because I ended up getting deployed. Not many people know that Marines are able to wear the Ranger tab but they’re permitted to keep it under their blouse pocket. I thought that would’ve been so cool to be a Ranger-qualified Marine, but there were other plans for me.
Did you join during a time of war?
SB: I joined the Marines in 1999 and was coming back from my first deployment in 2001, when the twin towers were hit. I was sitting off the coast of California redeploying home and found out about the attack while on the ship with my fellow Marines. We were just in range of the coast where we were able to get satellite reception to see it on TV. We had been out on a MEU for six months and wanted to just turn the ship around and fight. We got off the boat and started training for Afghanistan or Iraq. We didn’t really know much about Iraq at that time.
What was the feeling like when the towers were attacked?
SB: We thought at first it was just a training exercise when the towers were hit. We were just wanting to get off the boat because we’d finished our deployment. We were ready to go home. When we realized it was a real attack that made it extremely gut wrenching. This was a time in our country that no matter where you came from or what side of the aisle you were on, we were united. We all felt the same when that happened and it was a brutal feeling.
Who were you with as an 0311 (infantryman)?
SB: I was with the 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance (LAR) as a scout. I was with the 1st Marine Division. I knew we would eventually go somewhere and I was honestly surprised it didn’t happen sooner. When I went to Iraq we were scheduled to go on another MEU (Marine Expeditionary Unit). We were geared up for a WESTPAC (Western Pacific) UDP (Unit Deployment Program) and knew it was going to turn into a deployment to Iraq. Then, we headed to Kuwait and trained up from January to March. We did some work ups and went to a couple of different camps in Kuwait. I remember there were a few times that we were geared up for possible chemical warfare. We had missiles coming into Kuwait and we would have to don full MOPP (Mission Oriented Protective Posture) gear. That’s what really scared me. I could take someone shooting at me all day but I didn’t want any bit of that Sarin gas. The idea of being gassed was actually terrifying. The drums of war were beating very loudly at that point. We were running small recon elements up to the border to figure out what the enemy was doing.
Our unit was gathering intelligence on what the tank platoons were doing for Saddam’s forces. The morning we were going to invade, the Iraqi forces started burning all of the oilfields. I remember seeing that black cloud sky and I knew it was time to go to war. Our division rolled in through the south border and secured the naval port as our first mission. We actually ended up being the diversionary force for the Jessica Lynch mission on that deployment. We worked down south mainly but did go up north every once in awhile. My unit did a lot of “running the rabbit” to try and get attacked so we could see where the enemy’s positions were. We also ran security for the reserve units convoying up to build all of the airfields. We would get ambushed and take the fight so the convoy could keep moving.
“The morning we were going to invade, the Iraqi forces started burning all of the oilfields. I remember seeing that black cloud sky and I knew it was time to go to war. ”
What was that experience like your first time in combat?
SB: I definitely thought about combat but I don’t think it was anything that I dwelled on, per say. I knew that I could be killed or wounded. When we first attacked during the invasion, there were still uniformed soldiers in Iraq. They started taking those uniforms off as we crossed over the border (laughs). We would come across places in the desert where there would be piles of pants and blouses just laying there. I don’t remember overthinking combat too much, though.
Can you talk about the battle of Nasiriyah?
SB: Nasiriyah was a cluster fuck (laughs). There were a lot of casualties that we were taking and most of those seemed to actually be from friendly fire. We had an A-10 Warthog attack vehicles with Marines in them on an accidental gun run. It was during that time when we first crossed the border. Some of those Marines that were killed and wounded were guys we knew. That was so tough. We needed to get our shit together because we were hurting ourselves more than the enemy was. I think that was the most difficult part of the war, initially. There was a lot of confusion in the early days of battle which is always the case, but you have to get past that in order to have a chance to defeat the enemy.
Was there an example set in place before you headed to Iraq, where you felt ready for combat?
SB: Since Vietnam, our country has not participated in all-out combat. We’ve had units all over the world doing things here and there but most of it wasn’t combat-related. The conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq were full-blown wars for the first time in a while. If you were a Special Operations soldier then you might have had some experience I suppose, but there wasn’t anyone that had experienced all-out combat in a very long time. The practical knowledge factor, or lack thereof, definitely played a role in those first, initial days.
Can you describe what it was like as a young Marine in the invasion?
SB: We were on the move for the majority of the time during the invasion of Iraq. We didn’t have camps or chow halls with fast food and ice cream (laughs) like they get in a lot of places now. It was very archaic. There was something tremendously exhilarating about fighting in that way while living in intensely spartan conditions. I loved being propped up in the back of that LAV (Light Armored Vehicle) and rolling across the desert. I had my weapon ready to go and a bandana around my face. I remember the sun going down and we’d be rolling at 60 mph to go complete a mission. There was something about that austere environment that I loved.
I also loved that I wasn’t there during the times of having the pleasures of home in a war zone. I didn’t have the ability to come back from a mission and jump on Facebook. I was in it 24/7 every, single moment. We never slept in a bed the entire time that we were there in Iraq. I was always on the ground and rarely did I even get to take my boots off. I never knew what was going to happen. I liked that part of it and enjoyed the rugged elements of war. It didn’t leave me with a whole lot of time to think about being home and I think that’s a good thing for a young warrior.
“We never slept in a bed the entire time that we were there in Iraq. I was always on the ground and rarely did I even get to take my boots off. I never knew what was going to happen. I liked that part of it and enjoyed the rugged elements of war. It didn’t leave me with a whole lot of time to think about being home and I think that’s a good thing for a young warrior.”
What was the feeling of first pulling the trigger?
SB: I think one of the things that most people don’t think about is the emotional side of war. I don’t mean taking someone's life but the “high” or rush you experience from being in combat. I got an adrenaline surge from being in Iraq. When I’d finish the mission and had time to think about it, I’d wonder if we could’ve done things better. Usually after that moment, I’d go into a type of depression. I’d gone from a super high to a very low spot in my emotional experience. One day I’d be wanting to get back into the fight to go after the enemy and the next moment I’d just find myself thinking, “This sucks.” We’d go back out, do it again, and ride that emotional roller coaster all over again. It was like a terrifying amusement park ride with my emotions and I remember constantly dealing with the shock of adrenaline. It took a very hard toll on my body and brain as well. When we were doing it every single day it became very difficult, especially to my mentality.
Steven Sutherland, bassist for SBB.
What was your unit’s primary mission?
SB: Our mission was to secure the small towns and sectors once we got past the border of Iraq. When we first deployed into our AO (Area of Operations) we were securing a naval port down south in Iraq and working our way up the river. A lot of what we committed to were reconnaissance missions. We would drive platoon vehicles out and try to get shot at to see where the enemy was hiding. It was our job to find the bad guys and depending on how many enemy soldiers would chase us, we would either engage them or call in artillery. We ran security for the convoys as well and tried to help them build the airfields. Our unit did plenty of humanitarian missions as well. We gave the people food and clothes, making sure they were treated by medics as well.
Carrigan Shields, former keyboardist for SBB. Carrigan tragically lost his life on December 30th, 2019.
Do you remember the first time your unit took contact?
SB: We first took contact right when we crossed the border, moving from Kuwait into Iraq. Our very first contact was this dude opening fire in the back of a small Toyota Hilux pickup truck with a machine gun. We quickly flushed him out and he went back to his house. At that point, we found him and eliminated the threat. I sleep pretty damn good at night and don't have many issues with any of that. One of the things that I had trouble with was seeing kids getting killed. They were in the wrong place at the wrong time, unfortunately. The first house we went to and lit up, the dude came out alive. He was holding his dead daughter in his arms. That was a pretty terrible feeling. All I could think was that he had shot at us and then ran back to his home where his family was. That was so foolish and obviously he was a complete dirtbag. I suppose we as Marines could take the blame and feel a sense of it being our fault. Any time you take a life you don’t feel great about it but that’s the nature of war.
But, the truth of the matter is that this father did something so intentionally malicious. He tried to use his own family as human shields. I look at that as his transgression because he was obviously a terrible father. I would be running away from my family, not towards them, if I had the enemy chasing me. The terrible things that could’ve been avoided are what bother me the most. It’s war and horrible things happen but nobody wants that to ever occur. The Marines might be animals (laughs) but nobody wants that. Everybody deals with warfare differently. I don’t have a lot of issues from that particular instance but it was just a terrible situation, overall. You could line up five guys in front of me right now, I could slap all of them, and they would all have a different response to that slap. That’s how it is with humans and post traumatic stress issues. Some don’t mind stacking bodies and some do, but nobody with a good heart wants to see innocents get killed.
“Everybody deals with warfare differently. I don’t have a lot of issues from that particular instance but it was just a terrible situation, overall. You could line up five guys in front of me right now, I could slap all of them, and they would all have a different response to that slap. That’s how it is with humans and post traumatic stress issues. Some don’t mind stacking bodies and some do, but nobody with a good heart wants to see innocents get killed.”
Did you feel well trained when you got there?
SB: I felt very well trained when I got to Iraq. I was an NCO and section leader which had quite a few responsibilities attached. I was our company's assistant chief scout. I actually extended my contract to go to Iraq so I could be with my guys. They gave us a choice to extend and go with them or not extend and stay back in the states. There were actually a handful of guys that decided to stay back at home and not deploy. I didn’t think that was the right thing to do and personally I knew I couldn’t live with that. I couldn’t imagine training all my men then abandoning them before we actually went to combat. We all have tough choices to make in life but I couldn’t live with getting out of the Marine Corps and not seeing combat.
Matt Bledsoe, Army Veteran, is the drummer for SBB.
What is the most important tenet of leadership over there?
SB: It boils down to the men trusting you and having faith that you have their best interests in mind. However, the Marine Corps believes in mission accomplishment before troop welfare and I completely agree with that. The mission is the primary objective in warfare and you have to suck it up on the back end. The first few weeks, I remember we had one MRE and one bottle of water a day. Did it suck? Yes, it did but that’s part of combat. As Marines, you can’t bitch and moan about conditions being tough. I never griped about those things to my men because I knew they’d see and learn from that blueprint. You have to lead by example. If you tell someone to go kick a door in then you need to be willing to do the same. You can’t send people to do shit you wouldn’t do. We had really good leadership in my platoon from top to bottom.
What was your toughest time overseas?
SB: There was one moment overseas where I can remember specifically thinking that I was ready to go home. We were going through a little town and were ambushed. It was a small town with buildings on both sides. I don’t know if it was a complete accident but as we were rolling down the street these dudes walked out with AK-47s. It was a shocking moment for them as well as us. They came out and our lead vehicle took three of them out with a machine gun. Then all hell started breaking loose with guys coming out from everywhere. They were shooting at us with small arms, automatic weapons, and RPGs. We were just trying to get through the killzone. I was even shooting smoke grenades out of my .203 and trying to hit them with those. That decision was an effort to take them out while gaining some concealment so we could clear the area. Our lead vehicle was trying to make it out but struggling mightily.
The sewage runs down the middle of the streets in towns in Iraq, and it’s like a giant feces pit sometimes. The grass grows over that waste so it just resembles a grassy field. I remember one of our Marines was running through that particular area and thought he was just running through grass. He went nose first into the shit pit. We had to secure our position and pull a LAV out of that same pit. We were taking fire the entire time in the kill zone. It was quickly becoming close quarters combat. We were shooting the enemy ten feet away at times. Our Marines got the LAV out of the waste pit and finally made it through the kill zone.
We stopped a couple miles out of town to de-brief. I put a dip in my mouth and looked at my SAW (Squad Automatic Weapon) gunner and said, “I’m done man.” I was ready to go home and get out of the Marines. We had been in fights before but that was so intense and close. I was so worked up and breathing so hard that I almost passed out because of the adrenaline. I finally regained my composure, looked back at my SAW gunner, and I told him if he told anyone what I just said I’d absolutely thrash him within an inch of his life (laughs). I knew I shouldn’t have said that in front of him as a leader. You never want to give your guys a sense that you are losing control or scared. I have a really hard time describing the intensity and ferocity of that moment.
There was one other occurrence that scared me pretty badly. We were rolling through a town and had taken zero contact the whole day. I didn’t even hear the actual round being fired but I heard that snap sound right next to my freaking ear. I realized that a sniper tried to score a headshot on me. He was probably one foot within missing my damn head. When that bullet goes supersonic past your ear it makes that “crack” sound. It’s not a fun feeling knowing that someone has a beat on you (laughs).
“We were taking fire the entire time in the kill zone. It was quickly becoming close quarters combat. We were shooting the enemy ten feet away at times.”
When you got back were you ready to get out?
SB: I felt good about that deployment to Iraq and at the end of the day we left without one casualty, despite all of the combat we saw. They hadn’t figured out yet how to make all of those roadside bombs which helped us from getting hit. We were just in a lot of gunfights. At the end of the day we left there with everybody intact. There is nothing better as a leader than not losing anyone. We did our job and accomplished what we needed to without anyone dying. That said a lot about the esprit de corps of our unit because we saw a lot of combat.
I was really close to re-enlisting at one point. I had my life all set up to stay in the Marine Corps and decided at the last minute to get out. I was going to go to Bridgepoint, California to be a mountain survival instructor. But, I learned how to play the guitar in the Marine Corps and it was definitely in my blood. It was one of those things where I always wondered if I could do something with those particular skills. It’s taken me a long time to get where we are at now with Scooter Brown Band. I have been doing this as a full time job for over ten years. I would rather be poor and living my life on my terms than punching a time clock for someone else.
I don’t want to ask someone else if I can take a piss or get time off. I’d rather be poor then live my life like that. When I first got into this business with my wife and kids I was working construction I would drive an hour and a half to and from work. I worked eight to ten hour days. I’d load up all my gear on five or six nights a week and go play a three to four hour gig. By the time I got home, I’d only have a few hours to sleep. I did that for three years straight. When I decided to go into this music-making business full time we were so poor. We went grocery shopping with a calculator and pinched every single penny. I had to try it. I didn’t want to work for anyone else because my time is worth more than some obligatory dollar amount.
I want to be able to take off and go camping in Colorado at any given moment and I really just wanted to do something that I could spend time with my family while enjoying this beautiful country. There is a line in one of my songs, “We ain’t put on this earth to just work and die,” and I believe that. This lifestyle isn’t for everybody but for those willing to try then there is nothing better. The success part of it is great too. When you go from not knowing if you’ll make it and then become successful, that’s an amazing feeling. Not everyone in the world can make it doing their own thing, but I feel like you should try at least once. It requires a tremendous amount of effort but I never wanted to live my life with the regret of never putting in the work.
“I was going to go to Bridgepoint, California to be a mountain survival instructor. But, I learned how to play the guitar in the Marine Corps and it was definitely in my blood. It was one of those things where I always wondered if I could do something with those particular skills. It’s taken me a long time to get where we are at now with Scooter Brown Band. I have been doing this as a full time job for over ten years. I would rather be poor and living my life on my terms than punching a time clock for someone else.”
Can you talk about the scary moments?
SB: I’m a father and provider. I knew I had to give my kids the best and give them more than what I had. I had a great childhood and life but I wanted even more for my family. I’ve had two or three vehicles repo’d and I’ve seen the rock bottom. It’s caused fights between me and my wife but we’ve always managed to push through it. If you believe in it and don’t quit then your odds of success go up significantly. Some people try the music business for a couple of years then struggle and feel like it’s impossible to make it. That’s just an excuse. You just have to put in a ton of effort... or maybe your mom shouldn’t have told you that you were good at music (laughs).
I’m not saying that to be a dick but there are definitely a few of those out there that need to give up the dream (laughs). But there are many great artists out there that just quit and give up. I remember there were so many people that gave me shit about being away from my kids. But now, I get to spend much more time with my kids than those who work a nine to five. If I worked a regular day job as a businessman or salesman I’d probably get up at 6 a.m. and be gone all day. I would leave before the kids were up and get home barely in time for dinner. I’d see my children for an hour and then they’d go to bed. Now that I’ve made a career in music, I get to spend so much time with my kids. I’m home with them a lot and you can’t put a price on that quality time. I can be there to take them to school and pick them up. I’m there to bring them to gymnastics and all their extracurricular activities now. I’m gone a lot on the road with the band of course, but the overall time I get to spend with them is much more substantial than if I had a 9 to 5.
The thing I don’t want to teach my kids is to give up on a dream. If they see their dad struggle through this business that’s okay but I never want them to see me giving up. I have been in an arena with 10,000 screaming fans and then the next night some honky tonk with seven people who could care less. There have been times when I’d slam my head against the wall repeatedly and wonder why I was even doing it. When you get it right though, it’s like when you drive a golf ball and hit it perfectly. I think the thing that is cool about this business is that I can be a songwriter too. I have a publishing deal and write songs as my side work. My manager always says to me, “We are three minutes away from thousands of dollars.” If I committed myself to an office job I’d know that I was going to make $50,000 a year and probably not much more than that.
The chances of me staying in that particular job are pretty slim with the possibility of a layoff and quite a few people being able to replace me for less salary. Within this work, I can wake up tomorrow and have a song cut to where I can pay off everything I own. It’s an addiction. I’m constantly trying to find what's next on the horizon as a creator. When I was growing up, I literally rearranged my room every six months because I never liked it to stay the same. That’s one of the things I love about music. I love to travel and see the places I have never been. I love being in new towns and putting a smile on people’s faces. I love to see them smile with a song or cry with a song. I look at my job as getting up on that stage and people have paid their hard earned money to get lost from their everyday life. It’s 90 minutes of an escape that we can provide them.
If they want to drink beers, rock out in front of the stage, forget about all their turmoil, we can help them with that. Their boss might be giving them hell at work and their wife (or husband) could be making their life miserable; but none of that matters when they get lost in the music. It’s our job to mentally transport them through our songs. I get to do something I love 100% and there is nothing else I would rather do. It's a really cool relationship between us and the people that come see us. We are there for each other in a lot of ways.
How important is it to have a support system when you’re going after your passion?
SB: It was really hard at first. There were many conversations where my wife wanted me to quit and get a normal job. It took time to grow into this work. When good things started happening I felt like I was finally on the right track. I have been with my wife for fifteen years and the first seven were really tough. The last six years have been the best of our marriage. She is so supportive now. Our relationship works perfectly within this dynamic. She works for herself as well and stays home. Our relationship is one that makes me really believe that marriage should have some separation. If we spent every day around each other I think that would be really tough. It’s no wonder so many people get divorced (laughs).
In a lot of marriages, the same thing happens every single day, nothing ever changes and I believe that leads to a lot of issues. I miss my wife when I’m gone and she’s absolutely smokin’ hot. When time has gone by on the road, I’m ready to get home to her and I know she feels the same way. But, I will be home for a few weeks and she asks when I’m headed back out (laughs). It works well for us because we miss each other when I leave, but it’s good to have some separation as well. She knows that when I get home after being on the road I need rest so I sleep for as long as I want the next day. I get up, check my emails, and then I take her out on a date night. She needs some healthy time away from the kids as well. That’s what works perfectly for us.
What is the most fulfilling part of being a husband and father for you?
SB: I don’t think there is any one thing that makes being a husband and father fulfilling. The joy is in just literally doing it. I walk in the door and my kids scream, “Daddy is home!” They always rush to give me a big hug. My two older daughters have phones now so they Facetime me while I’m on the road. It’s really cool for them to be proud of me and what I’m doing. I’m the cool dad I guess (laughs). Their friends think it’s cool too. In a few years my oldest daughter may not think that I’m so awesome so I’m going to enjoy it while it lasts (laughs).
Can you talk about adopting your kids?
SB: We didn’t really like how the foster system worked. It felt like we were babysitting kids for the government. You have to lock up all your guns, can’t discipline in certain ways, and always do things the government’s way or you get in a lot of trouble. The thing that really got me was when they told me that if I walked in on one of the kids I was fostering who was attacking my wife or kids, I would have to subdue them using the “proper techniques.” I could go to jail if I didn’t do what they had told me to do in that instance. I stood up at that point and told them, “If I walk in and some kid is attacking my wife, I’m going to throw them through the window.” After that, I told my wife that I just didn’t feel good about it because the government would be too involved in our lives. The very next day we decided if we ever adopted it would be a private adoption.
It was also that very same day that my wife’s cousin was standing in a line at Walmart and there was a guy in front of her talking. He was telling the cashier that his daughter was pregnant and was going to give the baby up for adoption. My cousin tapped him on the shoulder and asked him if he had found a family yet. He told her that they really didn't know what they were going to do and hadn’t found a family yet. My cousin offered his number and she gave that number to my wife. We called them up and met at Starbucks that night. We came home with ultrasound pictures and 7 weeks later we were cutting the cord in the delivery room. We brought her home from the hospital. My son was adopted in the same way. A girl had come into church at the prayer group and wanted prayer. Her neighbor’s sister was going to give birth to a baby in two weeks. This girl had planned on just leaving the baby at the hospital. My wife asked for her number and called her. They met at that same Starbucks and two weeks later we had a baby boy. It was truly a God thing.
What’s the most rewarding part of music for you?
SB: I think the most rewarding part of music is the fact that I've been able to do this for almost ten years. I get the question of when I’m going to “make it” or if I feel like I have. I’m always striving for more. I want to get better and sell out more concerts. I have been doing this as my full time job for almost ten years and taking care of my family through music. I think that’s what “making it” looks like. I may not be selling out stadiums but I’m doing it at a pretty high level. I’m in the process of making every single day important to the band and the music. The first time we were recognized by Rolling Stone Magazine was pretty awesome. To see our band’s name featured was pretty incredible. It was a moment I will never forget. When things like that happen or I meet people that I become friends with, I love that. When I text Kid Rock and he texts me back like an old friend, that's pretty awesome (laughs).
I went on the road with the Charlie Daniels Band, Travis Tritt and the Marshall Tucker Band and that was a really incredible experience. The people that I have looked up to for as long as I can remember because I just love music, I can now talk to and that’s really special. Listening to guys like Randy Travis got me through childhood, my teenage years, and the Marine Corps. Music was my outlet and now I get to be friends with a lot of those same guys. I sometimes wonder if it’s even real life (laughs). I pinch myself every morning to make sure it’s not a dream. When I was in the Marine Corps I traveled to 20 different countries. I’ve traveled even more than that through the band. We’re working on some USO trips now where we can play overseas for the troops. I only get one life so I know I want to do something cool with it. I can’t understand just sitting around and waiting for something to happen. I had to go get it.
What was it like doing the song “American Son” with Charlie Daniels?
SB: Our manager also managed Charlie Daniels. I actually did an exposure gig which changed everything for us as a band. It was about five years ago and I was close to quitting music because I got burnt out. I was tired. I’m so incredibly grateful for the Texas scene and the fact that there are so many talented writers that come from that state. I was honestly just getting burnt out after hitting a plateau in Texas. We were doing 80% of our shows in the state. We could never get past that little hump. We would hit the road and I, personally, couldn't see the light at the end of the tunnel. I started to wonder if we’d peaked and I don’t mean that it would be the end of music for me, but I felt like we were in a major rut.
I was still making a living but I wanted something more, and to expand what we were doing. My wife was actually looking at houses in Montana and Colorado. I told her we could move up there and I would play the acoustic scene. I knew I could still play music and do my thing, just not in the same way we’d been doing it. I remember it feeling like I’d hit a massive wall. But that all changed when I was invited to Denver to go do a benefit show for Danny Dietz, the SEAL team member that was killed in Afghanistan (Operation Red Wings). They told me they couldn’t pay me for the gig and at that time we were struggling a little bit. My wife was questioning me driving to Denver to play three songs for free. I told her I wanted to go and she told me to cancel because we couldn't afford it. I’d given them my word I would come, though. I told her I was sorry and I was going. David Rutherford, from SEAL Team One, was emceeing the event.
He came up to me and told me he loved what I did. He wanted to know if there was anything he could do to help me out. He told me about the guy who managed Charlie Daniels in Nashville and that he knew him personally. I’ve heard that kind of thing all the time in this industry so I didn’t know if I could take it seriously (laughs). I received a phone call one day and found out that David had talked to him. They wanted to have my band come out for Charlie’s 80th Birthday jam in Nashville and they wanted us to play on the outdoor stage. I went out there and I don’t think we even got paid for it (laughs). It was just for exposure but at the time that was what we really needed. David came out and said that we reminded them of Lynyrd Skynyrd back in the 70s, which was obviously a massive compliment. He told us he would throw us some bones and find some gigs for us. He started putting us on some dates with Charlie.
The next thing we know we’re sitting in the truck with Charlie’s manager. He looked at me and told me he swore he would never manage another band in his life after Charlie Daniels. But, he said he wanted to manage us, and help us out in any way he could. We were working back and forth throughout Texas. Charlie invited my wife and I to the Grand Ole Opry backstage with him. It was when we’d just gotten back from Japan. My wife picked me up from the airport and we drove to Nashville. We met so many amazing people there at the Grand Ole Opry. I was talking to her on the way back and told her that every time we went to Nashville something good happened. I wanted to know what she thought of moving there and she told me that would be fine.
I called my manager while driving home and asked him about moving. He told me he could work with me wherever I was at, with one caveat. He said, “If you’re going to play the game, you should be where it’s played the best. The game is played in Nashville.” Those are the words that changed it all. It was five weeks later that we moved. We rented a house online without even seeing it. I got my record and publishing deal after being in Nashville for three or four months. It all just started happening quickly after that. The light I hadn’t seen in a long time was coming back into my life. I had been chasing it down the road and now it was getting brighter. I wrote the song “American Son” and sent it to David.
The first version I had written he sent back and said it wasn’t good enough. I sat down at first and was a little butt hurt. But, I got over that and re-wrote it to send to him again. I rewrote some parts and restructured a few areas and those are the ones that Charlie actually sings in the song. I had that idea about him singing a particular part in the song and my manager said he would ask him. We were going into the studio at the time and I asked him if he had heard if Charlie would do it. He told me that he would do it and I just thought, “No way.” The guy that was producing our record also produces Charlie’s. Charlie has a studio and office that is a log cabin on his property. He keeps all his buses there as well.
Our producer took all the tracks out to Charlie and he sang it. When the producer gave it to me to listen to as I drove home, I plugged it in and when his voice came on I got goosebumps. My eyes started watering too. I remember growing up when I was on the high school rodeo circuit riding bulls listening to Chris Ledoux and Charlie Daniels. I would sit in the single cab Chevy pickup truck jamming to this guy. Twenty years later he was singing a song I wrote. How cool is that? He’s such a great guy. He treats the janitor the same way as the guy writing his checks. He takes time for everybody and has been an awesome mentor to all of us, as a band. He is a major patriot and loves the military. He supports the veterans and has his own organization called, “Journey Home Project.” He’s an amazing man as well as his entire band.
Scott with Mo, founder of Mo’s Place which is a famous venue for showcasing music acts around the country in Katy, Texas.
Legacy is something that bonds all of us together. Our decisions become our character which then becomes our lasting imprint on society that we leave behind. Some see their legacy in a movement, some in their children, and some in a passionate pursuit of their talents. It could be said that all three of these are facets of Scott’s life. Music is a movement, derived from melodic desires inherent to Scott’s youth. His children are synonymous with his future, a generational reminder of parental impressions left behind. Passion in pursuit of his talents has made a seemingly impossible dream, a complexly beautiful reality. There are no shortcuts when art is to be truly impeccable because part of that story is the process of exertion. If we are to learn anything from Brown’s path, it is that a dream is only that, if not for excruciating efforts applied to the overall goal of attaining that vision.
To learn more about Scooter Brown Band, check them out on Facebook, Instagram and at their website. Their music is available on all major platforms.
Editor’s Notes:
Our heartfelt condolences go out to Scooter Brown Band as they lost their keyboardist, Carrigan Shields on December 30th, 2019. Although we spent a limited amount of time with Carrigan, he was incredibly kind and welcoming to our team. He was known by his bandmates as an intensely talented musician who could play almost any instrument you put in front of him. But more importantly, the band members saw him as a brother and wonderful friend.
We’d also like to take the time to recognize Charlie Daniels who is widely recognized as one of the premier country music talents of all time. Charlie passed away recently (July 6, 2020) and was an incredible mentor to Scott Brown.