Scotty Barnhart: FSU Professor By Day, Grammy Award Winner By Night

Simultaneously navigating multiple roles throughout one’s lifetime is no easy task. But William Barnhart, better known as “Scotty,” is a true jack of all trades, and proves to FSU students that it can all be worth it in the end. Barnhart has acquired multiple achievements, as well as an inspirational career showcasing his several Grammy awards and, recently, his first as Director.  

Scotty Barnhart is an internationally acclaimed jazz trumpet player, composer, arranger, educator, author, and Director/featured trumpet soloist of the legendary Count Basie Orchestra. He has also been a professor here at Florida State University’s College of Music since 2003. Here’s what Barnhart had to say to Her Campus about his influences, successful career, and how it felt to accept his third Grammy Award and counting. 

Born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, Barnhart and his family held a longstanding relationship with the Ebenezer Baptist Church for over 120 years, alongside the Martin Luther King Jr. family. He was surrounded by Dr. King Sr., who loved music and would often bring in an opera star or classical pianist. “I grew up with a wide variety of excellent examples of what great music was,” says Barnhart.

By the time he began practicing and getting serious, he knew jazz was his calling. He says, “It was through my mother, who was a musician, where I got my musical and ‘genetic talent,’ you could say. Growing up around music and the church every Sunday is where it started.” Barnhart recalls that before the fifth grade, he was “always hitting on things and banging out rhythms.” His first instrument as a child was not a trumpet, but a set of drums. In the fifth grade, he asked for a violin and was given a trumpet instead… and so it all began.

Barnhart experienced several obstacles throughout his career. The musician was affected by dental braces, bone loss, and multiple surgeries, all of which resulted in his not being able to play trumpet for 11 months. Despite the unfortunate circumstances, he stayed positive and took up the piano, practicing daily until his hands hurt. At Florida State, he instructs his classes using the piano, even when working with his trumpet students. This time in his life was hard on him due to missing out on what he loved, but it resulted in him acquiring more skills. 

Aside from his supportive parents, Barnhart’s high school band director was the first to see his potential and innate talent. He guided Barnhart and encouraged him to take private trumpet lessons, which led to him earning a scholarship to Florida A&M University in his junior year of high school, where he later graduated with a degree in music education. 

So, why did Scotty Barnhart choose to work for FSU in the first place? “Professor Leon Anderson simply called me. They were expanding their jazz department then, and FSU allowed me to do part-time because I couldn’t stop touring. I loved the experience I was gaining for the students as well,” Barnhart reveals.

On Feb. 4, Barnhart stepped up to the stage in Los Angeles alongside executive producers, his fiancée Dr. Yvette Mignon, and their families to accept his Grammy for Best Large Jazz Ensemble for Basie Swings The Blues at the 66th annual Grammy Awards.  

The album features stars like George Benson, Carmen Bradford, Robert Cray, Charlie Musselwhite, and Bobby Rush. Going into the production of the album, Barnhart’s whole project idea began five years ago, so to see it win a Grammy now had a huge impact on him. He expressed his gratitude to everyone involved with the production. What was a mere idea became history. He says, “It is something never done before in the history of music, mixing the top blues artists in the world with the top orchestra in the world.” Something truly groundbreaking was also recorded in just about two days.

Asked about his experience in receiving such a prestigious and recognized award, he stated, “Incredible is not the right word.” Barnhart discloses that he made sure everyone was on stage and commented, “I couldn’t go up alone because I didn’t do it alone. It was a group effort, from my fiancé to publicists, graphic designers, and engineers.”  

In 2005, Barnhart published his book, The World of Jazz Trumpet: A Comprehensive History and Practical Philosophy, which came about as an accident. He just so happens to have finished an updated version and should be coming out with it later this year. There’s no doubt that Scotty Barnhart is an inspirational figure here in Tallahassee and to all artists in the industry.

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