Born in Queens, New York, Linda Sampson was 11 years old when she moved with her family to Teaneck, New Jersey. She was still in school (Teaneck High School) when she auditioned to appear on Arthur Godfrey's popular CBS Radio show in 1959. After having won a place on the show, Scott and other young performers became regular guests. During the show's run, the singer came to the attention of Epic Records, and Scott made her recording debut (singing as Linda Sampson) with the single, "In-Between Teen".