Post by Rob Durkee on Jan 19, 2012 21:09:37 GMT -5
By ROCKIN' ROBIN
Johnny Otis, who was best known for is 1958 million-selling R&B and pop hit, "Willie And The Hand Jive," died Tuesday, January 17, 2012. He was 90. According to Associated Press writer Robert Jablon, Otis had been battling health problems for several years. He passed away at his home in the Los Angeles foothill suburb of Altadena.
Even though he was white, Otis carved his image by writing, producing and arranging R&B-based songs, plus discovering many key performers. According to writer Randy Lewis of the Los Angeles Times, Otis discovered Little Richard, Etta James, Jackie Wilson, Hank Ballard and Littlle Esther Phillips.
John Veliotes was born on December 28, 1921 in Vallejo, California and grew up in a predominately black neighborhood in Berkeley. He changed his name to Johnny Otis at an early age because he felt it sounded more black. As a youngster, he was mystified when a black friend wasn't allowed to join the Boy Scouts. Then at an older age, a school counselor advised him not to hang out with his black friends, which he refused to do.
Otis told "The Encyclopedia Of Record Producers" the following: "I didn't know I was wuite. I got immersed in the culture, in people's homes, and they in mine. The culture tells us blacks have to go that way and whites this way. They do the same thing with Jewish people, Asians and Hispanics. I don't know when we're going to cure ourselves of racism. Just because you see a cancer doesn't mean you know how to cure it."
Otis did his best by immersing himself in R&B music. He began as a drummer in the late 1930's for Count Otis Matthews even though he had no drumming experience when he joined Matthews' band. In the mid-1940's, he had a single release of "Harlem Nocturne," which twice became a top 40 instrumental remake for the Viscounts in 1960 and 1966. Then his career took off in 1950, when his band backed the Robins on the R&B single, "If It's So, Baby." The Robins would become the Coasters, the first group inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Fame. The year 1950 was also the year when three of Otis' releases reached the top of one major R&B chart. The songs were "Double Crossing Blues," "Mistrustin' Blues" and "Cupid's Boogie."
While those three hits were relatively unknown in the mainstream pop music world, he would produce a song that eventually everyone would know in 1953. Otis produced the legendary original version of the song, "Hound Dog," for Willie (Big Mama) Thornton...which, three years later, Elvis Presley made into a classic. As Elvis and rock and roll music began to surface in the mid-1950's, Otis wrote songs like "The Wallflower" (a/k/a "Work With Me Henry") for Etta james and "Work With Me Annie" for Hank Ballard and the Midnighters. Plus, he directed the orchestra on the Johnny Ace classic ballad, "Pledging My Love."
Otis patterned "Willie And The Hand Jive" after "Bo Diddley" by Bo Diddley. "Wilie And The Hand Jive" would sell over 1.5 million copies.
After taking "Willie And The Hand Jive" to #16 on the Cash Box pop chart in the late summer of 1958, Otis continued to write, produce and arrange more hit songs. Among them were "So Fine" (the Fiestas), "Every Beat Of My Heart" (Gladys Knight And the Pips) and "Image Of A Girl" (The Safaris). His son, Shuggie Otis, had a modest R&B hit in 1975 with "Inspiration Information." The year before, 1974, Eric Clapton took a remake of "Willie And The Hand Jive" to #40 on the Cash Box chart.
Johnny Otis was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 1994. Over the years, he was also a DJ on Los Angeles radio stations; a pastor at churches, a choir director; a publisher of a book about the Watts riots entitled "Listen To The Lambs"; and a deputy chief of staff for Mervyn M. Dymally, who'd make it to the U.S. House Of Representatives.
Johnny Otis, who was best known for is 1958 million-selling R&B and pop hit, "Willie And The Hand Jive," died Tuesday, January 17, 2012. He was 90. According to Associated Press writer Robert Jablon, Otis had been battling health problems for several years. He passed away at his home in the Los Angeles foothill suburb of Altadena.
Even though he was white, Otis carved his image by writing, producing and arranging R&B-based songs, plus discovering many key performers. According to writer Randy Lewis of the Los Angeles Times, Otis discovered Little Richard, Etta James, Jackie Wilson, Hank Ballard and Littlle Esther Phillips.
John Veliotes was born on December 28, 1921 in Vallejo, California and grew up in a predominately black neighborhood in Berkeley. He changed his name to Johnny Otis at an early age because he felt it sounded more black. As a youngster, he was mystified when a black friend wasn't allowed to join the Boy Scouts. Then at an older age, a school counselor advised him not to hang out with his black friends, which he refused to do.
Otis told "The Encyclopedia Of Record Producers" the following: "I didn't know I was wuite. I got immersed in the culture, in people's homes, and they in mine. The culture tells us blacks have to go that way and whites this way. They do the same thing with Jewish people, Asians and Hispanics. I don't know when we're going to cure ourselves of racism. Just because you see a cancer doesn't mean you know how to cure it."
Otis did his best by immersing himself in R&B music. He began as a drummer in the late 1930's for Count Otis Matthews even though he had no drumming experience when he joined Matthews' band. In the mid-1940's, he had a single release of "Harlem Nocturne," which twice became a top 40 instrumental remake for the Viscounts in 1960 and 1966. Then his career took off in 1950, when his band backed the Robins on the R&B single, "If It's So, Baby." The Robins would become the Coasters, the first group inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Fame. The year 1950 was also the year when three of Otis' releases reached the top of one major R&B chart. The songs were "Double Crossing Blues," "Mistrustin' Blues" and "Cupid's Boogie."
While those three hits were relatively unknown in the mainstream pop music world, he would produce a song that eventually everyone would know in 1953. Otis produced the legendary original version of the song, "Hound Dog," for Willie (Big Mama) Thornton...which, three years later, Elvis Presley made into a classic. As Elvis and rock and roll music began to surface in the mid-1950's, Otis wrote songs like "The Wallflower" (a/k/a "Work With Me Henry") for Etta james and "Work With Me Annie" for Hank Ballard and the Midnighters. Plus, he directed the orchestra on the Johnny Ace classic ballad, "Pledging My Love."
Otis patterned "Willie And The Hand Jive" after "Bo Diddley" by Bo Diddley. "Wilie And The Hand Jive" would sell over 1.5 million copies.
After taking "Willie And The Hand Jive" to #16 on the Cash Box pop chart in the late summer of 1958, Otis continued to write, produce and arrange more hit songs. Among them were "So Fine" (the Fiestas), "Every Beat Of My Heart" (Gladys Knight And the Pips) and "Image Of A Girl" (The Safaris). His son, Shuggie Otis, had a modest R&B hit in 1975 with "Inspiration Information." The year before, 1974, Eric Clapton took a remake of "Willie And The Hand Jive" to #40 on the Cash Box chart.
Johnny Otis was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 1994. Over the years, he was also a DJ on Los Angeles radio stations; a pastor at churches, a choir director; a publisher of a book about the Watts riots entitled "Listen To The Lambs"; and a deputy chief of staff for Mervyn M. Dymally, who'd make it to the U.S. House Of Representatives.