As the nation continues to grapple with an ongoing public health crisis and civil unrest, racial strife, protests and counter-protests in a call for social justice, an El Dorado native is using the gift of song to encourage people to “Hold On, Stay Strong.”
Cynthia Scott, a jazz, R&B, blues and gospel singer; songwriter; and playwright, recently released the single in hopes of relieving “some of the pain and confusion for all the people on the front lines during this pandemic all over the world. And also for everyone (who feels) the struggle that we are all in during these trying times.”
Scott said “Hold On, Stay Strong” was intended to be included an upcoming recording project called “Hear It For Yourself”.
The song was still being produced in the recording studio when the coronavirus (COVID-19) hit and was classified as a pandemic, Scott said.
With poignant lyrics and heartfelt sentiment, Scott said she felt the message of “Hold On, Stay Strong” was timely and upon receiving a social media request, Scott said she decided to release the song as a single ahead of the recording, which is expected to drop later this year.
Scott completed the track on the Internet, saying that she thought that its title could become a chant to uplift spirits during challenging times and be used as an example of the healing and unifying qualities of music — circumstances with with Scott is all too familiar.
She originally wrote “Hold On, Stay Strong” in response to the devastating effects of Hurricane Katrina, which struck the Gulf Coast in 2005.
The hurricane and the massive flooding that ensued resulted in the deaths of hundreds of people and caused approximately $125 billion in damage.
New Orleans and parts of the Mississippi Gulf Coast region were the hardest hit areas.
“Seeing people on top of their roofs with their houses underwater, holding signs saying, ‘Help Us. Save Us,’ (I) felt it was a sense of urgency and the tempo of the song would need to reflect that,” Scott said.
The result was a ditty that is signified by its simplicity and inspirational import.
The melody begins with a tenacious piano rift that commands immediate attention and segues into Scott’s passionate opening: “Hold on. Stay Strong. Even though life seems unbearable.”
Usually smooth and coquettish, Scott’s vocals are more throaty and plucky here, matching the urgent nature of the call in “Hold On, Stay Strong.”
Scott is no stranger to demands for change as it relates to civil and human rights.
She is a member of the the Washington High School Class of 1969, the last class to graduate from WHS before public schools were integrated in El Dorado.
That same year, shortly after graduation, Scott made history as the first black contestant in the former El Dorado Beauty Pageant and possibly, the first black person in the U.S. — and maybe the world — to compete and place in an all-white beauty pageant.
Of the experience, Scott wrote:
“The look on the woman’s face at the desk was priceless when I told her why I was there. I will never forget it.
She asked incredulously, ‘You want to do what?!’
I replied, ‘I would like to register for the pageant.’
The woman immediately walked over to talk with a group of other white people. They all looked back at me, promptly gathered into a huddle and looked back at me again.
If they had come back and said, ‘Go home little girl. We don’t allow your kind,’ I would have just turned around, walked out the door and probably never told a soul. Instead, the woman returned and told me to fill out the entry form.
Yes! I was in.”
By the end of the night, Scott was named second runner-up to winner Bonnie Haynie, nee Noble, of the El Dorado School District.
Scott said she feels the concept of “Hold On, Stay Strong” is also applicable to the difficulties many people are experiencing because of COVID-19.
She dedicated the song to health care and service workers around the world, “for us feeling afraid in our homes and for the people in hospitals or in ambulances on their way to the hospital.”
Scott, who lives in New York City, previously said, “At one time, ambulances could be heard non-stop in New York City … NYC is now seeing a decrease (in COVID-19 cases) and the numbers right now are way down.”
“Hold On, Stay Strong” is available in a video that has been posted to YouTube and, judging by the feedback in the comment section underneath the video, the lyrics seem to be working as Scott intended.
“The song is part prayer, part invocation and part musical therapy to give us all strength and a mantra to keep our heads (up) while dealing and surviving through this virus and all of its ramifications,” she said. “Music supports our human capacity to deal with adversity and gives us an uplifting message. Hold on and stay strong. Repeat after me as we all navigate these very hard, trying times.”
Scott is a former member of the Raelettes, the backup singers for the late Ray Charles, and she wrote a one-woman play about the experience called “One Raelette’s Journey.”
She has shared the stage with many famous vocalists and musicians, including Gladys Knight and the Pips, Joe Pass, The Count Basie Orchestra, Oscar Peterson, David “Fathead” Newman, Harry Connick Jr., Lou Donaldson, Cab Calloway, Lionel Hampton, Norman Simmons and Wynton Marsalis, who has said that Scott has “the sweetest, best soulful” voice.
Scott previously served as U.S. Jazz Ambassador and she was inducted into the Arkansas Black Hall of Fame in 2016.