On the road with The Boss

Whitefish man has been Springsteen's sound engineer for almost 30 years

When local sound engineer Toby Scott answers the phone and the voice on the other end has that familiar raspiness to it, he knows he's going to be on a plane soon.

"Bruce will call up and say 'Hey Tob', I've got a couple of quick things I want to get down. Do you have anything going on?'," explains Scott. "I'll tell him I'm free and ask him when he wants to start. He'll say 'What day is it? Friday? Let's start Monday."

Scott will then get on a plane for Springsteen's studio in New Jersey, where he will sometimes spend 10 to 12 hours a day recording new songs for the Boss. Such is the life of a sound engineer for one of the most prolific and well-known American musicians of the last three decades.

Scott first met Springsteen in 1978 when he was getting started in the music business as a band manager and engineer. In 1980 he worked as the sound mixer on Springsteen's album "The River." He started recording Springsteen's live shows on Nov. 5 of that year, and has recorded countless concerts since. Springsteen asked Scott to become his full-time sound engineer in 1988, which includes both studio recording and going on tour with the band.

Since then, Scott has traveled all over the world, recorded dozens of albums and racked up a heap of awards for his work, including a Grammy in 2007 for his contribution to "We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions." He has worked with dozens of artists, including Bette Midler and Bob Dylan.

While Scott was living in Los Angeles in 1982, he would regularly fly to New York to record the now world-famous "Born in the U.S.A." album, which would go on to sell 15 million copies worldwide and spent 143 weeks as the No. 1 album in the country. In 2003, Rolling Stone magazine ranked the album No. 85 on its list of the 500 greatest records of all time.

"That album took two years to record," Scott said. "The initial part went very quick. We recorded three-quarters of the songs that made it on the album in two to three weeks. Everything was recorded live. I would come into the studio at about 5:30 and set up the instruments. Bruce and the E-Street Band would come in at about 7 p.m., and Bruce would have a song he wanted to do. He would teach the band the song, and they would pick it up right away. They would play it a couple of times, and he would decide if it was close. They would do four to five takes, and he would say 'OK.' They were all very good musicians."

Springsteen asked Scott to come on tour and record live shows from a remote trailer. He traveled all over Europe, Asia, the U.S. and New Zealand.

"Recording live shows is different in that you only get one take," Scott explained. "One of Bruce's philosophies is that every show has to be the best you can do, because it may be the only time that kid in the audience gets to see his show. He gives it his all at every show. He will say hello to people waiting in line at sound check. He makes time after every show to bring fans into his dressing room and hang out, no matter how tired he may be."

In 1987, Scott began working with Springsteen on an album called "Tunnel of Love" using an eight-track recorder.

"It was the first record he did without a band," Scott recalled. "He and I did the whole album together, sort of alone. He had put together a recording console in a small house next to his house in New Jersey, called the Carriage House. We recorded everything except for one song in that room. He asked me how we were going to do drums without a band, and I told him I had experience with drum-programming machines. He would describe a beat to me, and I would sort of tap it out and we would work from there. I did all the drum programming on that album. The song "Tunnel of Love" was quite elaborate as far as programming."

Last year, Scott received his first musical credit on one of Springsteen's songs.

"We were working a track called 'A Night With the Jersey Devil' that he was going to release the night before Halloween," Scott said. "We were almost finished, and he said 'I just need a background vocal. All right Toby, get another track ready, push record, and come sing with me.' I kinda looked around and said 'Me?' He said 'Yes, you. You know the song, right?.' So I pushed the button, ran over there, and sang some 'whoa whoa' vocals with him. I told him later that day that it's the first time I ever sang on an album. I asked him if I should put my name on the credits, and he said 'live a little — put your name down."

During the 80s , the two became very close friends.

"He's a great guy," Scott said. "He's a fabulous family man. He wants his way, but he's nevertheless very low key. We've all heard stories about other musicians getting mad and firing people left and right, but Bruce never yells. If you mess up, he will let you know and that is the end of the issue. He underdresses when he goes out. There's no 'bling' to him. Someone on the street might ask him if he will pose for a picture, but he'll say 'Wait, you stand next to me and we'll get someone else to take the photo. Or, 'Hey Tob', take the picture!'"

Springsteen has an uncanny ability to remember fans' names, according to Scott.

"Someone will come up to him and say, 'Bruce, I saw you 10 years ago in Florida, and you were getting into your car', and Bruce will say 'It's Bill, right?' When it comes to songs, fans, concerts and people, his memory is amazing. But if you ask him his home phone number, he won't be able to tell you."

Scott recalls that when they would go out to a bar to see live music, Springsteen always loved to play with any band that happened to be playing.

"He would always quietly wait in the crowd for the band to finish their own set," Scott said. "So it's always on their terms. Then at around midnight, before their last song, he would go up to one of the guys and say 'Hey, can I play a few songs with you?' Of course, the band members would all light up and say sure. Bruce would then get up there and ask them if they know such-and-such cover song. He loved to play music wherever he goes."

Scott moved to Whitefish in 1991, and Springsteen played a set at the Great Northern in 1996 after attending and playing at Scott's wedding.

Over time, Scott has moved from four-track recording to state-of-the art digital music databases, and he is still going strong. He helped record the Super Bowl show earlier this year, and he is in L.A. this week for another concert. He also helps local aspiring musicians whenever they have questions, and he worked on the soundtrack for the locally produced film "Paper Dolls." With 30 years of experience Scott could probably do anything he wants, but he plans to keep working for "The Boss' as long as he can.

"When the opportunity came up to work for Bruce, I couldn't pass it up," he said. "I'm going to keep going as long as I can."