Scott Bomar

Early years

A native of Memphis, Tennessee, Bomar was introduced to music at an early age, aided by his mother's record collection and regular exposure to Memphis' legendary musicians.

Impala

Bomar's music career began in the early 1990s. Impala, consisting of guitarist John Stivers, saxophonist Justin Thompson, drummer Jeff Goggans, and Bomar on bass, gained national prominence on the strength of their debut album, El Rancho Reverbo, co-produced by Roland Janes. They signed with Estrus Records.

Following the release of Kings of the Strip, Impala toured relentlessly, appearing at a slew of garage rock festivals (including Garage Shock, Sleezefest, Crap Out, and Dixie Fried) and alongside guitar legends Dick Dale and Davie Allen and the Arrows.

Over the past decade, Impala has been featured on numerous occasions in film and on television, most notably for their arrangement of Henry Mancini's "Experiment in Terror," and Duane Eddy's "Rebel Rouser", as a medley, which appeared in the Chuck Barris biopic Confessions of a Dangerous Mind. The band's current lineup includes trumpeter/keyboardist, former Bobby "Blue" Bland sideman, and Bo-Keys member Marc Franklin.

The Bo-Keys and Al Green

Bomar gained individual prominence playing bass for legendary Stax artists such as Rufus and Carla Thomas, Eddie Floyd, William Bell, Sun Records pioneer Rosco Gordon, and Motown session guitarist Dennis Coffey, both in studio session and on the road.

In 1998, he formed The Bo-Keys, a Memphis soul/funk group featuring former Stax/Volt, Hi Records and Isaac Hayes session players Skip Pitts, Howard Grimes and Ben Cauley.

Following the success of The Bo-Keys' critically acclaimed album, The Royal Sessions, Bomar was asked to serve as assistant engineer on Al Green's comeback album, I Can't Stop, which was nominated for a Grammy in 2003. In 2005, Scott re-joined producer Willie Mitchell to record Al Green's Everything's Okay.

In 2005, The Bo-Keys performed on the film and soundtrack for Hustle & Flow as well as the Paramount/Nickelodeon animated feature Barnyard, directed by Bob Oedekirk. Three years later, they appeared in the film Soul Men, performing on-screen with Samuel L. Jackson and Bernie Mack. The group also added three songs to the film's soundtrack (produced by Bomar), including Anthony Hamilton's "Soul Music," which was nominated for a Grammy in 2009.

The Bo-Keys have performed at various festivals, including multiple appearances at The Ponderosa Stomp, London’s Barbican Performing Arts Centre, and Lincoln Center’s Midsummer Nights Swing Series.

Collaborations with Craig Brewer

In 2005, Bomar composed the score for Craig Brewer's award-winning film Hustle & Flow. Touted as Memphis soul meets hip hop, Bomar's work on the film has received much critical acclaim.

Bomar's collaboration with Brewer continued in 2006 when he served as Executive Music Producer and Composer for the film Black Snake Moan. In preparation for the recording process, Bomar took Brewer and lead actor Samuel L. Jackson on a road trip through Mississippi, during which the trio met with a slew of blues musicians, working to parlay classics like "Stackolee" and "That Black Snake Moan" into modern sinister laments. Upon returning to the studio, Bomar enlisted musicians rooted in Memphis, including harmonica legend Charlie Musselwhite, and The North Mississippi Allstars, the contemporary blues/rock group of Jim Dickinson and his sons Luther and Cody. He was later joined by the stars of the film, Samuel L. Jackson and Christina Ricci, to record songs subsequently performed on screen.

Bomar served as producer with Brewer on the MTV New Media series "$5 COVER" in 2009.

Filmography (partial)

Discography (partial)