Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Shirley Scott was an admirer of Jimmy Smith, Jackie Davis (American soul jazz singer, organist and bandleader), and Bill Doggett (American jazz and rhythm and blues pianist and organist; and played piano and trumpet before moving to the Hammond organ, her main instrument, though on occasion she still played piano. In the 1950s she became known for her work (1956–1959) with the saxophone player Eddie Davis, particularly on the song “In the Kitchen”. She was married to Stanley Turrentine and played with him from 1960 to 1969. Later, she led her own group, mostly a trio. Saxophonist Harold Vick often played with her. In the 1980s, she became a jazz educator and a member of Philadelphia’s jazz community. Scott won an $8 million settlement in February 2000 against American Home Products, the manufacturers of the diet drug fen-phen. Shirley Scott died of heart failure in 2002.