Scott Fagan On World Cafe

Singer-songwriter Scott Fagan's story starts with his parents, who were part of the New York City jazz scene. He grew up poor on St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands and traveled to New York in 1964, at 19, to meet Brill Building songwriter Doc Pomus, who signed him to Atco Records. Four years later, Fagan made the moving psychedelic folk album that would stand as his major musical contribution: South Atlantic Blues, which has just been reissued.

After South Atlantic Blues, more characters joined Fagan's story, including the artist Jasper Johns and even, through a twist of genetics, The Magnetic Fields' Stephin Merritt. Hear Fagan tell his own story and sing some of the songs from South Atlantic Blues on this page.