Wheaton musician Scott Tipping bounces back with new album after accident

Scott Tipping will spend his birthday on stage in the New Year, which will be a big shift from how he spent Jan. 2 a couple of years ago.

Tipping, a musician from Wheaton, turned 50 from a hospital room after a severe car accident two days after Christmas 2023, soon after the release of his debut album.

Now healed and turning 52, Tipping will celebrate the release of his second album, “The Fade,” with a birthday celebration at 8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 2, at The Venue, 21 S. Broadway in Aurora.

Well known as a master guitarist, Tipping is a longtime member of Backyard Tire Fire, and has performed with big talent such as Los Lobos and Kofi Baker, and on both the Goodman and Paramount Theatre stages.

Locally, he puts together “Album Covers” shows at The Venue and works as their talent buyer.

“The Fade” is a 10-song LP that Tipping started writing after his accident.

He remembers writing the first song while still in the hospital. “It represents the start of new things,” he said of “The Fade.”

The album took about a year to put together and involves collaborations with Packy Lundholm and Adam Gardner as co-producers and includes special guests such as John San Juan, Chuck Lacy, and Gerald Dowd.

The Jan. 2 show will feature special guest Chicago solo artist Phil Angotti.

“Music is a place of celebration and refuge,” Tipping said. He said that the accident, “As awful and hard as it was, it became something very uplifting and reminded me of the gratitude I have for my community,” he said.

“The Fade” will be available for sale at Kiss the Sky, 180 First St. in Batavia; Superjumbo, 102 E. Galena Blvd. in Aurora; and Mile Long Records, 128 W. Liberty Drive in Wheaton. It can be purchased online at scotttipping.com.

For more information or tickets for the release show, visit themusicvenue.org.

Tipping has been making music in the Chicago area for over 25 years. He is a member of Cesar Rosas & The Chi-Town Playboys, Backyard Tire Fire, Allie & The Night Krals, and Kofi Baker’s Psychedelic Trip. He has shared the stage with the likes of Los Lobos and Buddy Guy. He has performed at Paramount Theatre, The Goodman Theatre, and has recorded with Peter Himmelman, Robbie Fulks, and many others. For the last several years, Tipping has curated the popular series “Album Covers” at The Venue in Aurora.