Scott Blackwell

One day when Scott "Jelly" Blackwell was supposed to be in a high school class, his mother, Pat, saw him walking down the street. He confessed he was headed to his favorite pool hall. Scott never met a rule he wasn't willing to break.

He was a spectacularly talented keyboard player, a songwriter, won trophies and no little money playing pool and loved racing cars, often on racetracks. He was crazy about his daughter, Casey, and her wife, Courtney.

Scott died in his sleep Thursday, Dec. 7, 2023, at his home in Cape Girardeau.

Scott's original nickname — Jelly Belly — was a gift from his youth baseball manager, Al Ashby, whose own nickname was Casey, after Casey Stengel. Scott's waist was a bit round back then, but he was a good hitter. Scott changed his nickname to Jelly Roll when he became a musician. Most of the musicians in his world just called him Jelly.

His parents, Pat and Joe Blackwell, were musicians, playing in the Jerry Ford Orchestra for decades. During his teens, they drove him to St. Louis every Saturday to take piano lessons from Herb Drury, a top jazz pianist. Scott played piano in the Cape Girardeau Central High School Jazz Band that toured Europe for six weeks the summer before his senior year.

While still in high school, a group of his jazz band friends were killed in a car wreck on their way to hear the jazz-rock band Chase in Carbondale, Illinois. Scott wasn't with them only because he was attending the visitation for one of his grandfathers. The news of his friends' deaths was delivered during the visitation. He never talked about that trauma.

His dad, Joe, had a combo Scott began playing in at 17. Scott moved to Coco Beach, Florida, at the invitation of a local band, Proof. When he moved back to the area, there were stints in bands Trux, Scandal and Ozark. He also played with Chris and Mark Moore in a band who called themselves Rascal Flats. More about that later.

Scott often organized concerts to raise money to help musician friends pay medical bills.

Eventually Scott moved to Nashville, Tennessee, and joined a band called the Fat Cats. One night, he encountered some musicians who had formed a band and were looking for a name. He suggested Rascal Flats. Rascal Flatts became one of the most popular bands in country music.

Scott played with some well-known musicians in Nashville, including Joe Stampley, who he toured with behind a string of hits through the '70s and '80s. He played with David Allan Coe, one of the original country music outlaws.

With his good friend Jerry Laseter, he wrote a song titled "Somewhere Under the Rainbow", recorded by Joe Diffie. He also co-wrote "Honky Tonk Boots", a hit for Sammy Kershaw.

Scott performed at the Grand Ole Opry 14 times. Tanya Tucker just released a Jerry Laseter song titled "Merry Christmas Wherever You Are". Scott plays the piano part on the song.

His daughter, Casey, recalls her dad picking her up one day in Dexter, Missouri, and telling her mother they would spend a few days in Nashville. Instead, they drove to a gig he had in North Carolina and went whitewater rafting. Casey remembers having fun. Her mother was not pleased.

His sister, Sally, lives in Cincinnati with her husband, Doug Bethea. Their children — Kyle, Carly and Kim — are Scott's nephew and nieces. His brother, Sam, lives in Cape Girardeau with his wife, Danna Cotner.

Joe's mother, Alta, often babysat the Blackwell children while their parents played a band job. The children knew at some point she would fall asleep and they could run the neighborhood. Sally recalls one rule-breaking night they hid in ditches and threw rocks at vehicles. She grew up to become a first grade teacher. He grew up paying no attention to anyone else's rules and sleeping on couches and buses.

Chris Moore says playing music with Scott was an adventure. "I always had good vibes playing music with Jelly. He had great energy and feel for a diversity of styles. You never knew prior what you'd get during a gig. Made it fun."

Scott spent the last decade of his life living with his 96-year-old mother, Pat, cooking for her and "spoiling me rotten".

A visitation will be from 4 to 6 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 14, at Ford and Sons Mount Auburn Funeral Home. All are welcome.

Online condolences may be sent at www.fordandsonsfuneralhome.com.