Horace Ott
Horace Ott | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 15, 1933 St. Matthews, South Carolina, US |
| Genres | Jazz, R&B |
| Occupation(s) | Arranger, songwriter, record producer |
| Instrument(s) | Piano, Electric piano, Synthesizer |
Horace Ott (born April 15, 1933) is an American
R&B composer, arranger, record producer, conductor and pianist, noted for his work since the late 1950s with a wide variety of artists including The Shirelles, Don Covay, Nina Simone, Houston Person, and the Village People
.
Biography
Born in
Wilkinson High School in Orangeburg, where he played in the school band and started performing in, and writing for, a local jazz band. He studied music at South Carolina State University, graduating in 1955, and spent two years in the US Army from 1956 to 1958, playing in a marching band.[1][2]
Career
1950s to 1960s
In 1958 he moved to New York, working in a factory while playing in nightclubs in the evenings. He met songwriter
ASCAP members. The song was included on Nina Simone's album Broadway-Blues-Ballads, in an arrangement by Ott, and was later a hit for The Animals.[1][4] He continued working with Nina Simone, arranging her 1968 hit "Ain't Got No, I Got Life", and also worked as an arranger in the late 1960s with Aretha Franklin, Eric Burdon, Bessie Banks, George Benson, Mary Wells, Jimmy McGriff, and many others.[5]
In 1969, Ott went to the UK, arriving on May 23. He was there to record
Tommy Sanderson. At the time White was being managed by Al Grossman. Ott's role in setting up the recording session was for United States market potential.[6]
1970s onwards
In the 1970s, Ott continued as an arranger with jazz and R&B musicians including
Discography
![[icon]](/File:Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg){kind=small} | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (April 2013) |
With Rusty Bryant
- Until It's Time for You to Go (Prestige, 1974) - keyboards, arranger and conductor
With Groove Holmes
- Night Glider (Groove Merchant, 1973) - electric piano and composer
With Etta Jones
- Sugar (Muse, 1989) - keyboards and arranger
- Christmas with Etta Jones (Muse, 1990) - keyboards and arranger
With Jimmy McGriff
- Electric Funk (Blue Note, 1969) - electric piano and composer
- The Dudes Doin' Business (Capitol, 1970) with Junior Parker - keyboards, composer, conductor and arranger
- Soul Sugar (Capitol, 1970) - electric piano
- Groove Grease (Groove Merchant, 1971) - electric piano
With Houston Person
- Houston Express (Prestige, 1970) - as composer, arranger and conductor
- Suspicions (Muse, 1980) - as composer, arranger and performer
- Heavy Juice (Muse, 1982) - arranger
With Bernard Purdie
- Soul Is... Pretty Purdie (Flying Dutchman, 1972) - keyboards, composer, arranger and conductor
With Nina Simone
- Wild Is the Wind (Philips, 1966) - as arranger
With Dakota Staton
- Madame Foo-Foo (Groove Merchant, 1972) - electric piano
With Joe Thomas
- Joy of Cookin' (Groove Merchant, 1972) - as composer, arranger and conductor
With Bob Thiele and Glenn Osser
- The Mysterious Flying Orchestra (RCA Victor, 1977) - as arranger
References
- ^ a b c Benjamin Franklin V, "Horace Ott", in Jazz & Blues Musicians of South Carolina, Univ of South Carolina Press, 2008, pp.86-95
- ^ a b Horace Ott, South Carolina African American Calendar Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 3 April 2017
- ^ Songs written by Horace Ott, MusicVF.com. Retrieved 3 April 2017
- ^ "Songwriter, Arranger Horace Ott", www.fyicomminc.com Jazzmen. Accessed 2 June 2011.
- ^ a b Horace Ott Discography, Discogs.com. Retrieved 3 April 2017
- ^ Cash Box, June 7, 1969 - Page 50 CashBox Great Britain
- ^ Martha Rose Brown, "Faces and Places: Horace Ott, composer of jazz and pop", T&D, February 24, 2015. Retrieved 3 April 2017
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