Like many guitarists who grew up in the 60's and 70's, Scotty Spenner got the bug
to play after seeing
the Beatles'
debut on the Ed Sullivan Show. At 9 years old,
he received his first guitar
and was playing gigs by the time he was 19.
Scotty came to Phoenix, AZ from the East Coast in 1980, and by 1983 he became the original guitarist with Valley blues legends Big Pete Pearson and the Blue Sevilles. Later in the 80's, he went on to work with Texas Red and the Heartbreakers, Small Paul & Drivin Wheel, the Janiva Magness Band, the Stiletto's, and co-founded the Blue Dynamo's with Roger Rotoli and Matt Rowe.
After living and playing briefly in Los Angeles, in 1992 Scotty moved to South Dakota to be close to his children. In South Dakota, Scotty formed "Little Scotty and the Big Tones". This traditional blues band played clubs and festivals throughout South Dakota, Iowa, Nebraska, and Minnesota. During this time Scotty also honed his solo acoustic act, playing festivals and coffee houses. His solo blues CD, "The First Thing Smokin", was released in 1996 to excellent reviews. (See Reviews on CD Page) During his stay in South Dakota, Spenner also hosted a weekly blues radio show on South Dakota Public Radio, studied music as USD and performed with the USD Jazz Ensemble.
Upon returning to Arizona in 1998, Scotty worked with Phoenix area bands, taught guitar and continued to perform solo.
In 2004-2005, Scotty played lead guitar in the band of singer/songwriter, Dave Insley. With Dave's band, "The Careless Smokers", Scotty played throughout Arizona and Colorado, and played showcase shows in Nashville. Scotty reluctantly left Insley's band in August 2005, to stay close to home with his family.
Since March 2006, Scotty has been performing and recording with Midnite Blues Band, a gig he has coveted since he first saw the band perform at the old "Warsaw Wally's" in 1980. In addition to his gigs with the Midnite Blues, he continues to play solo acoustic shows, teach guitar, and is recording a new solo CD.
In his years performing, Scotty has worked shows with many of the legends of the blues, such as: Robert Jr. Lockwood, John Hammond, Duke Robilard, Johnny Winter, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Johnnie Johnson, Billy Boy Arnold, Jimmy Rogers, Smokin Joe Kubek, Janiva Magness, Honey Boy Edwards, Alvin "Youngblood" Hart, Rory Block, Screamin' Jay Hawkins, Buddy Guy, KoKo Taylor, Taj Mahal, Bobby Bland, Luther Allison, and many more.