Johnny Otis
Johnny Otis | |
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Los Angeles, California, U.S. | |
Genres | |
Instruments |
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Years active | 1940s–2000s |
Website | johnnyotisworld |
Johnny Otis (born Ioannis Alexandres Veliotes (Ιωάννης Αλέξανδρος Βελιώτης); December 28, 1921 – January 17, 2012) was a first generation Greek-American singer, musician, composer, bandleader, record producer, and talent scout.
Personal life
Otis was born in Vallejo, California, to Greek immigrant parents, Alexander J. Veliotes, a
On May 2, 1941, when Otis was 19, he married Phyllis Walker, an 18-year-old woman of African American and Filipino descent from Oakland, whom he had known since childhood. Despite deep and enduring objections from his mother, the young couple left California and eloped to marry in
Music career
Otis began playing drums as a teenager, having bought a set by forging his father's signature on a credit slip. Soon after, he dropped out of
In the early 1940s Otis played in
Otis and his Orchestra played at the third annual Cavalcade of Jazz concert held at Wrigley Field in Los Angeles produced by Leon Hefflin, Sr. on September 7, 1947. Woody Herman, The Valdez Orchestra, The Blenders, T-Bone Walker, Slim Gaillard, The Honeydrippers, Sarah Vaughn and the Three Blazers also performed that same day.[16]
Otis discovered the
In 1951, Otis released "Mambo Boogie", featuring congas, maracas, claves, and mambo saxophone guajeos in a blues progression, the first R&B mambo ever recorded.[18] Otis moved to Mercury Records in 1951. He discovered the singer Etta James, who was then 13 years old, at one of his talent shows. He produced and co-wrote her first hit, The Wallflower (Dance with Me, Henry).
In 1952, while in
One of Otis's most famous compositions is the ballad "
Otis hosted a television show, The Johnny Otis Show, and became an influential disc jockey in Los Angeles, with a program on radio station KFOX in Long Beach in 1955.[22]
In 1955, Otis started his own label, Ultra Records (he changed the name to Dig after releasing five singles). He continued to perform and appeared on TV shows in Los Angeles from 1957. On the strength of their success, he signed with
In 1959, Otis auditioned the Coachella Valley, CA band the Renes which featured a young Alan O'Day on vocals. Impressed, Otis recorded and produced the band performing three O'Day originals and a few covers at El Dorado Studios in Los Angeles. but the recordings were never released as most of the members of the Renes were minors.[2]
In 1969, Otis landed a deal with
Live at Monterey was released in 1971 by Epic Records. Reviewing it in Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies (1981), Robert Christgau said, "In-concert compilations are often incoherent, but the blues-style hard jive beloved of performer-turned-majordomo Otis has such formal integrity that this r&b spectacular moves smoothly for four sides. Some of the featured players are no more than Otis's hired hands, including guitarist Shuggie O. But (in ascending order) Roy Milton, Big Joe Turner, Ivory Joe Hunter, Little (?) Esther Phillips, Roy Brown, and Cleanhead Vinson are a cast that beats anything Richard Nader's ever put into the Garden."[25]
Otis toured less in the 1970s. He started the Blues Spectrum label and released a series of thirteen albums, Rhythm and Blues Oldies, which featured the 1950s R&B artists
In the 1980s, Otis had a weekly radio show, airing Mondays from 8 to 11 p.m. on the Los Angeles radio station KPFK, on which he played records and received as guests R&B artists such as Screamin' Jay Hawkins.[26] Otis also recorded with his sons, Shuggie (guitar) and Nicky (drums), releasing the albums The New Johnny Otis Show (Alligator, 1981), Johnny Otis! Johnny Otis! (Hawk Sound, 1984) and Otisology (Kent, 1986).[13] In the summer of 1987, Otis hosted his own Red Beans & Rice R&B Music Festival in Los Angeles, which featured top-name acts and hosted a Southern-style red beans and rice cook-off. Otis released Spirit of the Black Territory Bands in 1992, for which he was nominated for a Grammy Award.[27] He moved the festival to the city of San Dimas, where it ran annually in association with the Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation for twenty years, until 2006.[28]
Otis and his family moved from southern California to
Other work
In the 1960s, Otis entered journalism and politics. He lost an election for a seat in the
Otis also founded[40] and preached in the New Landmark Community Gospel Church,[41] which held Sunday services in Santa Rosa, California. Landmark's worship services centered on Otis's preaching and the traditional-style performances of a vocal group and choir backed by his rhythm section and an organist.[42] The church closed in mid-1998.[citation needed]
The Johnny Otis Show, relocated from KPFK to sister station KPFA in Berkeley, California, where it aired on Saturday mornings. After his market in Sebastopol opened in 1994, Otis broadcast from there, with his band playing live on the air, later broadcasting from the Powerhouse Brewing Co.[43] After Otis' retirement in late 2004, his grandson Lucky hosted the show at KPFA for two years, until its final airing in late 2006, when Otis and his wife moved back to Los Angeles.[44]
He taught Music 15-B: Jazz, Blues and Popular Music in American Culture, a 3-unit Peralta Community College District class.[45]
Death
Otis died of natural causes on January 17, 2012, in the Altadena area of Los Angeles. He died three days before Etta James, whom he had discovered in the early 1950s.[1] He is interred with his wife at Mountain View Cemetery in Altadena, California, US.[46]
Discography
Chart singles
Year | Single | Artists | Chart Positions | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
US Pop[47] | US R&B[17] |
UK[48]
| |||
1948 | "That's Your Last Boogie" | Joe Swift with Johnny Otis & His Orchestra | – | 10 | – |
1950 | "Double Crossing Blues" | Johnny Otis Quintette, the Little Esther
|
– | 1 | – |
"Mistrustin' Blues" / "Misery" |
Little Esther and Mel Walker with the Johnny Otis Orchestra / Little Esther with the Johnny Otis Orchestra |
- - |
1 9 |
- - | |
"Cry Baby" | The Johnny Otis Orchestra, Mel Walker and the Bluenotes | – | 6 | – | |
"Cupid's Boogie" | Little Esther and Mel Walker with the Johnny Otis Orchestra | – | 1 | – | |
"Deceivin' Blues" | Little Esther and Mel Walker with the Johnny Otis Orchestra | – | 4 | – | |
"Dreamin' Blues" | Mel Walker with the Johnny Otis Orchestra | – | 8 | – | |
"Wedding Boogie" / "Far Away Blues (Xmas Blues)" |
Johnny Otis' Congregation: Little Esther, Mel Walker, Lee Graves / The Johnny Otis Orchestra with Little Esther and Mel Walker |
- - |
6 6 |
- - | |
"Rockin' Blues" | The Johnny Otis Orchestra with Mel Walker | – | 2 | – | |
1951 | "Gee Baby" / "Mambo Boogie" |
The Johnny Otis Orchestra | - - |
2 4 |
- - |
"All Nite Long" | The Johnny Otis Orchestra | – | 6 | – | |
1952 | "Sunset To Dawn" | Mel Walker with the Johnny Otis Orchestra | – | 10 | – |
"Call Operator 210" | Johnny Otis and His Orchestra featuring Mel Walker | – | 4 | – | |
1957 | "Ma (He's Making Eyes at Me)" | The Johnny Otis Show (Johnny Otis and His Orchestra with Marie Adams and the Three Tons of Joy) | – | – | 2 |
1958 | "Bye Bye Baby" | The Johnny Otis Show (vocal by Marie Adams & Johnny Otis) | – | – | 20 |
"Willie and the Hand Jive" | The Johnny Otis Show | 9 | 1 | – | |
"Crazy Country Hop" | The Johnny Otis Show | 87 | – | – | |
1959 | "Castin' My Spell" | The Johnny Otis Show (vocal by Johnny Otis & Marci Lee) | 52 | – | – |
1960 | "Mumblin' Mosie" | The Johnny Otis Show | 80 | – | – |
1969 | "Country Girl" | The Johnny Otis Show (vocal by Delmar Evans & Johnny Otis) | – | 29 | – |
References
- ^ a b Lewis, Randy (January 19, 2012). "Johnny Otis Obituary: R&B Singer, Drummer, Bandleader Dies at 90". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 19, 2012.
- ^ a b Linna, Marian (2005). Liner Notes of "Wild Guitar" CD. Norton Records.
- ^ "Johnny Otis". History-of-rock.com. Retrieved July 1, 2008.
- ^ "Fifteenth Census of the United States (1930), Berkeley (Health District 2), Alameda County, California, Enumeration District 1–280, p. 16A, lines 1–6, household of Alex J. Veliotes". The Generations Network. April 10, 1930. Retrieved November 23, 2009.
- ^ Dahl, Bill. "Johnny Otis". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation.
- ^ "Johnny Otis". Soulbot.com. June 15, 2014. Archived from the original on March 19, 2012. Retrieved October 6, 2015.
- ^ Powers, Ann (March 27, 2007). "Will the Real Stone Rise Up?". Los Angeles Times.
- ISBN 978-0-8166-6531-0.
- ^ "Black by Persuasion". Popmatters.com. May 25, 2010. Retrieved October 5, 2015.
- ^ Taylor, Ihsan (January 19, 2012). "Johnny Otis, 'Godfather of Rhythm and Blues,' Dies at 90". New York Times. Retrieved October 5, 2015.
- ^ "Johnny Otis: Black by Persuasion". Jazztimes.com. April 26, 2019.
- ^ Perry, J. J. (1998). "Johnny Otis: Pioneering Rhythm and Blues Legend". Herald-Times (Bloomington, Indiana), October 23, 1998. Retrieved April 7, 2007.
- ^ a b c d e f Bill Dahl, Biography of Johnny Otis at Allmusic.com. Accessed January 19, 2012.
- ^ Dahl, Bill. "Johnny Otis – Music Biography, Credits and Discography". AllMusic. Retrieved November 14, 2012.
- ISBN 978-0-306-80743-5.
- ^ "'Cavalcade of Jazz' To Be Studded With Music Stars" The California Eagle August 28, 1947.
- ^ a b Whitburn, Joel (1996). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942–1995. Record Research. p. 336.
- ^ Boggs, Vernon (1993). "Johnny Otis R&B/Mambo Pioneer". Latin Beat Magazine, vol. 3, no. 9 (Nov.), pp. 30–31.
- ^ Spörke, Michael. "Big Mama Thornton: The Life and Music". Mcfarlandbooks.com. Retrieved October 7, 2015.
- ^ "Ask 'Mr. Music' Jerry Osborne: For the Week of March 26, 2007". Mr. Music. Retrieved October 10, 2011.
- ^ "Hank Ballard". Soulful Kinda Music. Retrieved October 10, 2011.
- ISBN 978-0026100007.
- ^ J. C. Marion, My Search Is Over – Marie Adams, 2002 Archived March 3, 2016, at the Wayback Machine. Accessed January 19, 2012
- ^ Unterberger, Richie. "Snatch and the Poontangs – Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved October 6, 2015.
- ISBN 0-89919-026-X. Retrieved March 10, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
- ^ Kiersh, Ed (August 1985). "Ike's Story". Spin. 1 (4): 36–43. Retrieved October 5, 2011.
- ^ "Johnny Otis". Recording Academy. Retrieved July 31, 2022.
- ^ Ransom, Franki V. (August 23, 1992). "Familiar Face at Johnny Otis Festival". Articles.latimes.com.
- ISBN 978-0-8166-6678-2– via Google Books.
- ^ "Sonoma County musicians mourn Johnny Otis". Pressdemocrat.com. January 19, 2012.
- ^ Rollie Atkinson. "Johnny Otis memories shared around Sonoma County". Sonomawest.com.
- ^ "All Kindred and Food Products (Products) companies in Sebastopol, Sonoma (CA)". sonoma-ca.4bizen.com.
- ^ Rollie Atkinson S. "R&B pioneer Johnny Otis dies at age 90: Longtime Sebastopol resident known as 'renaissance man'". Sonomawest.com.
- ^ "Best Local Culture". Bohemian.com. March 23, 2000.
- ^ "MetroActive Features – Best of Sonoma County". Metroactive.com.
- ^ Atkinson, Rollie. "R&B pioneer, former Sebastopol resident Johnny Otis dies at 90". Sonomawest.com.
- ^ "Johnny Otis: Inducted in 1994". The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. Retrieved October 10, 2011.
- ^ "News 101: When a story is 'news'". Pasadenastarnews.com. May 7, 2013.
- ISBN 0-8195-6287-4.
- ^ Lewis, Randy (January 19, 2012). "Influential R & B singer, musician". Articles.latimes.com. Archived from the original on January 22, 2012.
- ISBN 978-0-8195-6287-6.
- ISBN 978-0-8195-6287-6– via Google Books.
- ^ Raskin, Jonah (January 25, 2012). "Johnny Otis, 1921–2012". North Bay Bohemian.
- ^ "A Salute to Johnny Otis". Patch.com. January 20, 2012.
- ^ "Meeting Johnny Otis". Sfbayview.com. February 22, 2012.
- ^ "Remembering Bandleader And Producer Johnny Otis". Npr.org.
- ISBN 0-89820-155-1.
- ISBN 0-00-717931-6.
External links
- Official website
- Johnny Otis at AllMusic
- JohnnyOtis.com
- Johnny Otis at Find a Grave