Scott's bio
”Scott is a triple threat, a consummate musician, writer, producer, arranger, but first and foremost a great guy!”
— Philip Bailey
Earth, Wind & Fire
Scott Mayo
Stage • Studio • Screen
Grammy®-nominated Scott Mayo is a globally revered music producer, composer, music director, arranger, recording artist, and performer (vocals, woodwinds, piano). In reviewing his work, LA Weekly noted “Cool is happening here,” while Variety magazine called Mayo an “immense talent.”
His many credits span stage, studio, and screen. Here are some highlights:
Stage
Stage credits include performing with Earth, Wind & Fire for close to a decade; serving as music director for Sergio Mendes for 15 years; and performing in the orchestras for the televised ceremonies for the Oscars®, Grammys®, and Emmys®.
Studio
In addition to two Grammy® nominations for record producing and featured album performance, Mayo’s studio work is heard on more than 100 albums, including vocals on Paul McCartney’s Egypt Station; saxophone on Beyonce’s hit “Cuff It” on the Renaissance album; and his legendary live sax solo on “Reasons," which he arranged and performed for Earth, Wind & Fire’s live album.
Screen
Mayo composed and orchestrated the latest HBO theme song and served as staff composer for HBO’s Larry Sanders Show and CBS’s High Society. He also served as music arranger for Dancing with the Stars and American Idol (10 seasons each); music arranger for Mick Jagger and Raphael Saadiq for the Grammy® Awards; and music director for the Emmy® Awards Governor’s Ball.
More About scott Mayo
Also active in front of the camera, Mayo has performed hundreds of times on screen, including backing Neil Young on The Tonight Show, John Legend on The Voice, and Queen Latifah on the BET Awards.
Mayo was the featured saxophone soloist honoring the late Clarence Clemons of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band for the BET Awards and was prominently featured week after week as a leading musician with the house bands for DWTS and American Idol. He also performed on and was horn arranger for TV special The Black Pack starring Ne-Yo and Taye Diggs.
Mayo’s recent nationally televised performances include AFI’s Lifetime Achievement Award ceremony honoring Eddie Murphy, Netflix’s Night of Too Many Stars, and A Motown Christmas, where he backed Smokey Robinson, Machine Gun Kelly, and Gladys Knight.
Mayo contributed vocals to the movie soundtrack for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and performed on recorded woodwinds for film scores for Father Of The Bride, Happy Feet Two, Little, Epic, Babylon, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, The Good Dinosaur, and Madagascar 3.
Across TV platforms Mayo has performed on compositions for Amazon, Netflix, Nickelodeon, Disney+, and Hulu, plus Apple TV+’s hit series Sugar and HBO’s The Neighbors, The Help Squad, and Steve! (Martin) A Documentary in 2 Pieces, as well as two of Vince Gilligan’s critically acclaimed shows, Pluribus and Better Call Saul.
Mayo works across many genres and appears on several Grammy®-winning albums, in addition to writing and recording three solo albums. He earned his Grammy® nominations for producing the Oleta Adams album Moving On and as the featured performer on the Gerald Wilson album Theme for Monterey.
The long list of artists with whom Mayo also has worked includes Ariana Grande, Bruno Mars, Mark Ronson, Jay-Z, Dr. Dre, Lizzo, Stevie Wonder, Cynthia Erivo, Cee-Lo Green, Dave Chappelle, Pitbull, Mariah Carey, Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, Chaka Khan, Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Hudson, Carrie Underwood, Blake Shelton, Bonnie Raitt, Michael Bolton, Herb Alpert, Luther Vandross, and Lionel Richie.
As a songwriter, Mayo has written alongside John Legend, Common, and Janelle Monae. He also has written songs for Earth, Wind & Fire, Al Jarreau, Sergio Mendes, Oleta Adams, Kevyn Lettau, and Jody Watley.
Mayo is a Rochester native who began playing music at 8 years old and was educated by renowned Rochester educator Roger Eckers. He worked as a DJ with radio station WDKX before entering University of Michigan, where he studied under the esteemed classical saxophone professor Donald Sinta.
Mayo is a proud Yamaha artist and was inducted into the Rochester Music Hall of Fame in 2024 for his illustrious career.
Awards
nominations
Producer:
Best R&B Album, Moving On album by Oleta Adams
Featured Performer:
Featured soprano saxophonist and arranger for Gerald Wilson song “Romance: Theme from Monterey”
Plus:
Scott Mayo has performed on and composed music for dozens of Grammy®-winning and Grammy®-nominated albums, most recently on the 2026 Grammy®-nominated albums by Michael Mayo and Gerald Clayton.
2024 inductee
For his celebrated career, Scott Mayo was inducted into his hometown Rochester Music Hall of Fame in 2024.
Fellow inductees include Lou Gramm, lead singer of Foreigner; Lew Soloff, trumpeter for Blood Sweat & Tears; Emmy®-winning composer Jack Allocco; drummer Steve Gadd; fugelhorn player Chuck Mangione; Al Jardine of The Beach Boys; and Eastman School of Music.
