John Otway
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John Otway | |
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punk | |
Instrument(s) | Guitar, theremin, violin, vocals |
Years active | 1969–present |
Labels | Polydor Records U-Vibe Records Red Bowler Records |
Website | www.JohnOtway.com |
John Otway (born 2 October 1952) is an English singer-songwriter who has built a cult audience through extensive touring.[1]
Biography
Early life
Otway was born in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire. From the age of nine all he ever wanted to be was a pop star.[2]
1970s and 1980s
Although his first single, "Gypsy"/"Misty Mountain" was released in 1972, Otway gained wider recognition riding the wave of
When Otway turned solo, his audience remained loyal despite poor record sales. In the mid 1980s, he often appeared on Vivian and Ki Longfellow-Stanshall's showboat, the Old Profanity Showboat, in Bristol's Floating Harbour.[5] He also appeared as the musical guest in the final episode of the British sitcom The Young Ones, "Summer Holiday".
1990s and 2000s
His 1990 autobiography, Cor Baby, That's Really Me (subtitled Rock and Roll's Greatest Failure) was a study in self-deprecation, and his touring continued to sustain him.[1] In the 1990s, he toured as "Headbutts and Halibuts", with Attila the Stockbroker with whom he wrote a surreal rock opera called Cheryl. In 1992 Otway appeared at GuilFest. In 1993 he was able to draw 2,500 fans to a gig in London[1] and, in 1998, 4,000 celebrated his birthday with him at the Royal Albert Hall, coinciding with the release of Premature Adulation, his first album of new material for over ten years.[1]
By then, Otway had realised he could use his fanbase, who were in on the joke, to engage in minor
Buoyed by the success of the hit campaign, Otway planned an ambitious world tour in October 2006. He proposed hiring his own jet to take his band, and 300 of his fans, to some of the most prestigious venues in the world, including Carnegie Hall and Sydney Opera House. Despite over 150 fans signing up, the tour was cancelled as the costs of the plane spiralled.
2010s and 2020s
Otway is still touring in various formats. In 2009, he was re-united with Wild Willy Barrett for a UK tour, the duo now perform together regularly and even recorded a new album in 2011 called 40-Odd Years of Otway and Barrett consisting of re-workings of old songs and a new, previously unrecorded song "The Snowflake Effect". Otway also tours as a solo act, as a
In October 2012, to celebrate his 60th birthday, Otway booked the
He delivers occasional (humorous) lectures on the theme, "Making Success Out of Failure", and the sequel to his autobiography, I Did It Otway (subtitled Rock and Roll's Greatest Failure) was published in May 2010. The book was designed by John Haxby who has also designed Otway's album sleeves over the past 15 years.
At Christmas 2014, Otway attempted to crack the Christmas market with the EP A John Otway Christma5, the lead track "OK Father Christmas" basing a new lyric on top of the earlier single "DK 50/80".
During 2016, Otway set up an online Kickstarter campaign for 'A New Album of Otway Songs'. The campaign was successful, raising £38,916 from a total of 838 individual backers. The resulting album and DVD, Montserrat, was recorded at Olveston House, Montserrat, in September 2016[11] and released in March 2017, to those who had supported the Kickstarter campaign, followed by general release on 1 May 2017.
Following the COVID-19 pandemic, Otway started a series of Facebook live concerts on 28 March 2020. These receive around 10 thousand views per stream.[citation needed] He performed nine such between March and May 2020. [12]
On 2 April 2022, Otway played his 5,000th career gig, which, as a milestone event, was held at the O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire. This featured performances of many of his popular songs from his career, with a first set played with long time musical partner Wild Willy Barrett and a second set with the Otway Big Band.[13]
In September 2022, Otway received a Honorary PhD in Music presented by Oxford Brookes University.[14]
Discography
Date | Title | With |
---|---|---|
1977 | John Otway & Wild Willy Barrett | Wild Willy Barrett |
1978 | Deep & Meaningless | Wild Willy Barrett |
1979 | Where Did I Go Right? | |
1980 | Way & Bar | Wild Willy Barrett |
1982 | All Balls & No Willy | |
1989 | The Wimp & The Wild | Wild Willy Barrett |
1991 | Cheryl, a Rock Opera | Attila the Stockbroker |
1992 | Under the Covers and Over the Top | |
1993 | Live | The Big Band |
1995 | Premature Adulation | |
2004 | OT-AIR | |
2006 | Bunsen Burner - The Album | |
2011 | 40 Odd Years | Wild Willy Barrett |
2014 | The Rest Of Otway & Barrett | Wild Willy Barrett |
2014 | An Otway Christma5 | The Big Band |
2017 | Montserrat | The Big Band |
2019 | John Otway & Wild Willy Barrett (Live to Disc) | Wild Willy Barrett |
Bibliography
- Otway, John (1990). Cor Baby, That's Really Me!. ISBN 0-7119-2148-2.
- Otway, John (2010). Cor Baby, That's Really Me! (4th ed.). Karen Lawrence Glass. ISBN 978-0-9564343-0-2.
- Otway, John; Creasy, Nick (2010). I Did it Otway: Rock and Roll's Greatest Failure. Karen Lawrence Glass. ISBN 978-0-9564343-1-9.
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e f g "Biography by Mark Allan". AllMusic. Retrieved 20 October 2009.
- ^ "OTWAY THE MOVIE - Rock and Roll's Greatest Failure, Otway the Movie". Vimeopro.com. 3 April 2020. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
- ^ "JOHN OTWAY and WILD WILLY BARRETT OGWT 18/10/77 Full Version". YouTube. 4 April 2016. Archived from the original on 11 December 2021. Retrieved 4 October 2020.
- ^ ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ^ "Old Profanity Presents". Ginger Geezer. Archived from the original on 3 January 2012. Retrieved 30 December 2011.
- ^ McCann, Paul (9 October 1999). "John Otway 'a better lyricist than Dylan'". The Independent. Archived from the original on 13 June 2022. Retrieved 24 July 2013.
- ^ "John Otway's world record film attempt". Channel 4 News. 7 October 2012. Retrieved 29 November 2012.
- ^ Anthony Barnes (15 May 2013). "Cannes Film Festival 2013: Veteran pop flop John Otway showcases biopic Rock And Roll's Greatest Failure". The Independent. Archived from the original on 13 June 2022. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
- ^ "Otway rocking down the street in Cannes – More News". Bucks Herald. 25 May 2013. Archived from the original on 13 April 2014. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
- ^ "Rock and Roll's Greatest Failure". Otwaythemovie.com. Archived from the original on 27 July 2013. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
- ^ "John Otway's Mission To Montserrat". Song Link International. Retrieved 4 October 2020.
- ^ "Lockdown Shows". Vimeopro.com. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
- ^ Bennett, Mike (6 April 2022). "John Otway Shepherds Bush Empire review". Louderthanwar.com. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
- ^ "Singer songwriter John Otway picks up Oxford Brookes degree". Oxford Mail. Retrieved 12 October 2022.