Johnny Otis (born
Ioannis (
Yannis)
Veliotes on
December 28, 1921 in
Vallejo, California) is an
American blues and
rhythm and blues pianist, vibraphonist, drummer, singer, bandleader, and
impresario. Johnny Otis was one of the most prominent white figures in the history of black R&B.
http://www.history-of-rock.com/johnny_otis.htm
After playing in a variety of
swing orchestras, including
Lloyd Hunter's Serenaders, he founded his own band in
1945 and had one of the most enduring hits of the big band era, "Harlem Nocturne". This band played with
Wynonie Harris and
Charles Brown. In
1947 he and
Bardu Ali opened the Barrelhouse Club in the
Watts district of
Los Angeles. He reduced the size of his band and hired singers
Mel Walker, Little Esther Phillips and the Robins (who later became
the Coasters). He discovered the teenaged Phillips when she won one of the Barrelhouse Club's talent shows. With this band, which toured extensively throughout the
United States as the California Rhythm and Blues Caravan, he had a long string of
rhythm and blues hits through
1952.
In the late 1940s he discovered
Big Jay McNeely, who then performed on his
Barrelhouse Stomp. In the 1950s he discovered
Etta James, for whom he produced her first hit,
Roll With Me, Henry, (also known as
The Wallflower). Otis produced the original recording of
Hound Dog written by
Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller with vocal by
Big Mama Thornton, and was given a writing credit on all six of the 1953 releases of the song. As an
artist and repertory man for
King Records he also discovered
Jackie Wilson, Hank Ballard, and
Little Willie John, among others. He also became an influential
disk jockey in Los Angeles. However, he continued to perform, and in April
1957 he had a hit with his best-known recording
Willie and the Hand Jive. His most famous composition is "Every Beat of My Heart", first recorded by The Royals in the 1952 but which became a huge hit for Gladys Knight.
In the 1960s he entered journalism and politics, losing a campaign for a seat in the
California Assembly (one reason for the loss may be that he ran under his much less well known real name). He then became chief of staff for
Democratic Congressman Mervyn M. Dymally. He was also was the pastor of Landmark Community Church.
In the 1990s Otis bought a farm near
Sebastopol, California, north of
San Francisco. For a time he ran a coffee shop / grocery store / blues club, where one of the featured singers was the Georgia-born singer Jackie Payne. Around this time Otis also founded and pastored a new church, Landmark Community Gospel Church, which held weekly rehearsals in the tiny town of
Forestville, California and Sunday services in
Santa Rosa, California. Landmark's worship services centered on Otis' preaching and the traditional-style performances of a gospel choir and a male gospel quartet, backed by a rocking band that featured Otis' son Nicky Otis and Nicky's son, Lucky Otis. The church closed its doors in the mid 1990s.
Otis continued performing through the 1990s and headlined the San Francisco Blues Festival in 2000, although because of his many other interests he went through long periods where he did not perform.
Otis was elected to the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in
1994.
Otis, of
Greek descent, is the older brother of Nicholas Veliotes, former U.S. Ambassador to
Jordan (1978-1981) and to
Egypt (1984-1986). He is the father of
Shuggie Otis.
Frank Zappa has cited Otis as the inspiration for his distinctive trademark facial hair, stating in an interview conducted by
Simpsons creator
Matt Groening and
Guitar Player magazine editor Don Menn that "it looked good on Johnny Otis, so I grew it."
Otis maintains a popular radio show on
KPFA, called The Johnny Otis Show.
