Colin Escott

Colin Escott (born 31 August 1949) is a British music historian and author specializing in early U.S. rock and roll and country music. His works include a biography of Hank Williams, histories of Sun Records and The Grand Ole Opry, liner notes for more than 500 albums and compilations, and major contributions to stage and television productions. Honors include multiple Grammy Awards and a Tony Award nomination.

Career His early career involved stints in operations for Island Records and Polygram Records in the 1970s,

Described as "the foremost authority on Sun Records", in 1992 he and Martin Hawkins published Good Rockin’ Tonight: Sun Records and the Birth of Rock ‘n’ Roll, the first in-depth account of the label's history. His 1994 book Hank Williams: The Biography was adapted into the 2015 movie I Saw the Light. The multi-CD box set, The Complete Hank Williams, won a 1998 Grammy, and another of his productions, Hank Williams: The Garden Spot Programs, 1950, won a 2014 Grammy.

In 1999 he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Association for Recorded Sound Collections, and in 2011 he was recognized with the Charlie Lamb Award for Excellence in Country Music Journalism.

Escott and Floyd Mutrux co-wrote the 2010 musical theater production Million Dollar Quartet, which received three Tony nominations, and in 2020 wrote a sequel, Million Dollar Quartet Christmas. He was also part of the writing/producing team adapting the original show for CMT broadcast in 2017. Another Escott and Mutrux collaboration, Baby It's You!, premiered in 2011.

In 2022 he was tapped as a writer for the "audio adventure" podcast series Tennessee Music Pathways. That same year, he and co-writer Peter Guralnick released "an epic hardcover book", The Birth of Rock 'n' Roll: The Illustrated Story of Sun Records and the 70 Recordings That Changed the World, in conjunction with the film Elvis.

Middle Tennessee State University's Center for Popular Music houses the Colin Escott Collection of historical documents and photographs acquired in 2019.

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Other works Theater Co-writer, Million Dollar Quartet (2010)

Film Screenwriter, Let Freedom Sing: Music That Inspired the Civil Rights Movement (2009) Writer, Only New Orleans (2015)

Television Consultant, Lost Highway: The Story of Country Music (BBC, 2003) Executive producer, writer, Hank Williams: Honky Tonk Blues (PBS, American Masters, 2004) Producer, writer, Sun Records (CMT, 2017) Consultant, Country Music (PBS, 2019)

Articles and essays Selected works from books and major music industry publications:

Best Blues Album - Historical/Reissue When the Sun Goes Down - The Secret History of Rock & Roll Best Blues Album - Liner Notes B.B. King: The Vintage Years

International Bluegrass Music Association Year Category Nominated work Result 2007Liner Notes of the Year Ralph Stanley: A Mother's Prayer

Personal life Escott was born in Boughton Aluph, Kent, England, on 31 August 1949, the son of Lenny, an optician, and Betty Escott. He graduated in 1971 from the University of Kent with a B.A. degree. He has lived in Nashville and Toronto.