Frank Scott

Who was Frank Scott?

Frank Scott was an American musician and arranger that was a member of the Lawrence Welk orchestra. His instruments were the piano and the harpsichord.

Born in Fargo, North Dakota; he first took up the piano at age eight, and by the time he was twelve, he led his first band and started to arrange songs. He originally attended North Dakota Agricultural College after high school, but after a year he left when he decided to pursue a career in music. He was the music director at radio station WDAY in Fargo from 1944 to 1956 where he scored over 2,500 arrangements for the station while composing music for community theater groups and conducting local ice shows.

In 1956, bandleader Lawrence Welk asked him to join his orchestra and his nationwide television show. He appeared on the The Lawrence Welk Show playing piano and harpsichord during his tenure on the show until 1969. He also worked behind the scenes of the Welk show as an arranger, assisted the production staff and furnished programming ideas. Scott also arranged thousands of songs and recorded albums in his own right for Coral and Dot Records. He left the show and then moved back to Fargo with his wife, where he continued to work in music, organized a big band, and taught a course at North Dakota State University for a year plus continued to arrange music.