FAITH IN TIME: The Life of Jimmy Scott

Ritz, who has helped Ray Charles and Laila Ali write their autobiographies, now turns his attentive eye to the life of singer "Little" Jimmy Scott. Born in Cleveland in 1925, Scott grew up in a town bursting with clubs and theaters that showcased the touring jazz greats, from big band to the then-nascent bebop. While still a teenager, Scott finagledhis way from a job as an usher at a Cleveland theater into singing a few numbers after Lester Young had performed. The audience was transfixed by his unearthly voice and clamored to know if he was a man or woman. Scott suffered from Kallman's Syndrome, which meant that his testicles never descended and his genitals never fully developed, keeping his voice in a high, haunting register. Never fully welcomed into the jazz world, Scott performed wherever and whenever he could over the decades. He sang with Lionel Hampton and Charlie Parker, recorded an album with Ray Charles and influenced a generation of singers from Frankie Valli to Marvin Gaye. But such occasional gigs never paid the bills and Scott kept taking odd jobs to support himself and his many poorly chosen spouses. A brief renaissance that came in the early 1990s offered the strange sight of the diminutive singer touring with Lou Reed and singing on an episode of Twin Peaks. Ritz keeps his distance, letting people like Reed, B.B. King, Quincy Jones, and especially the odd and feisty Scott himself, tell the story of a man caught between worlds and almost lost in time. (Oct. 2)