Shuggie Otis

Shuggie Otis
Birth name	Johnny Alexander Veliotes, Jr.
Born	November 30, 1953 (1953-11-30) Los Angeles, California, United States
Genres	R&B, blues, gospel, jazz, soul, rock & roll, funk
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, bass, drums, piano, organ
Years active	1960s–present
Labels	Various
Associated acts	Johnny Otis, Al Kooper, Frank Zappa, The Brothers Johnson

Shuggie Otis (born Johnny Alexander Veliotes, Jr.; November 30, 1953) is an American singer-songwriter, recording artist, and multi-instrumentalist.

Otis' composition "Strawberry Letter 23" (as recorded by The Brothers Johnson) topped the Billboard R&B chart and reached #5 of the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1977. He also achieved commercial success with his 1974 single "Inspiration Information" (from the album of the same name), reaching #56 on the R&B chart.

Biography

Born in Los Angeles, California, Otis is the son of rhythm and blues pioneer, musician, bandleader, and impresario Johnny Otis and wife Phyllis. The name 'Shuggie' (short for "sugar", according to his mother) was coined by Phyllis when he was a newborn. Otis began playing guitar at age two and performing professionally with his father's band at the age of twelve, often disguising himself with dark glasses and a false moustache so that he could play with his father's band in after-hours nightclubs.

Otis, primarily known as a guitarist, also sings and plays a multitude of other instruments. While growing up with and being heavily influenced by countless legendary blues, jazz, and R&B musicians in his father Johnny's immediate circle, Otis began to also gravitate towards the popular music of his generation such as Sly Stone, Jimi Hendrix, and Arthur Lee of the band Love. In 1969, Al Kooper asked Otis to be the featured guest on the second installment of the "Super Session" album series which had previously included Stephen Stills and Mike Bloomfield. Kooper and the then-fifteen-year-old Otis recorded the whole album over one weekend in New York. Immediately returning to Los Angeles, Otis, along with his father and singer Delmar 'Mighty Mouth' Evans on the album "Cold Shot", released in 1969 on the Los Angeles-based Kent label. Another oddly obscure album this three-man team recorded was the extremely rare and risque "Snatch & The Poontangs" (rated X due to its explicit lyrical content), where Otis recorded tracks under the pseudonym "Prince Wunnerful".

Otis then released his first solo album later that year entitled "Here Comes Shuggie Otis" on Epic Records. Countless musicians were his guests on this debut attempt, including Johnny, Leon Haywood, Al McKibbon, Wilton Felder, & more. This further established his reputation and catapulted his fame into the attention of B. B. King, who was quoted in a 1970 issue of Guitar Player magazine admitting Otis was "his favorite new guitarist". Some of the artists Otis performed and recorded with during that time include Frank Zappa (having played electric bass on "Peaches en Regalia" on the 1969 album "Hot Rats"), Etta James, Eddie Vinson, Richard Berry, Louis Jordan, and Bobby 'Blue' Bland, among many others.

The album Otis received the most notoriety for was his second Epic Records release in 1971, "Freedom Flight", which featured his famous hit "Strawberry Letter 23". Both the album and single reached the Billboard Top 200 and caught the attention of Brothers Johnson guitarist George Johnson, who then played it for producer Quincy Jones. They covered the song and it instantly became a smash hit. Even though Otis played most of his own parts in the studio, the lineup on this album was quite extensive, including keyboardist George Duke and Aynsley Dunbar of Frank Zappa, Journey, and Whitesnake fame.

In 1974, Otis released "Inspiration Information", his third and final album for Epic Records. The album had taken almost three years to finish. All the songs were written and arranged by Otis himself, who played almost exclusively every musical instrument on the album (except for horns and various stringed instruments). However, despite its long-awaited impact, "Inspiration Information" had but one single (the title track) reach the Billboard Top 200. After the album's release, Otis was approached by Billy Preston on behalf of The Rolling Stones, asking him to join the band for their upcoming world tour. He declined the offer, along with the chance to work with Quincy Jones in helping produce Otis's next album. After a series of similar refusals, Otis gained the reputation of 'taking his time', and his recording contract with Epic Records was nullified. Otis' only credited works throughout the mid-1970s were done as a session musician for his father's recording projects.

"Inspiration Information" gained a huge cult following during the 1990s with the emergence of rare groove and acid jazz. It was lauded by such musical luminaries as Prince and Lenny Kravitz. Due in part to this regained interest, the album was re-released on April 3, 2001, by David Byrne's independent label, Luaka Bop Records. This CD re-issue includes all 9 original album tracks plus four songs taken from Otis' 1971 album "Freedom Flight" and features new cover art, liner notes, and exclusive never-seen-before photos.

Otis is featured in every one of his father Johnny's books, as well as "Alligator Records Presents West Coast Blues", issued in August 1998.

Recently, Otis was heard in an exclusive radio interview claiming his extremely long-awaited fourth album (as yet untitled) will be released sometime in 2012 on his own recording label. It is rumored to feature all original compositions written from 1975 to the present, including live material from some of his rare performances.^{[citation needed]}

Personal Life

Little is known of Otis' private affairs, as he is considered by most who know him to have always been reclusive. While still a teenager, he married Judith Peters (aka Miss Mercy of Frank Zappa's infamous all-girl group, The GTOs), and together they had a son, Johnny III (who goes by Lucky). A few years later, Otis and Judith divorced. He then married Lillian Wilson, daughter of famed trumpeter, bandleader, and Latin jazz pioneer Gerald Wilson, and they had a son, Eric (whom Lillian named after her father Gerald's close friend and bandmate Eric Dolphy^{[citation needed]}). In the spring of 1991, Otis and his family relocated to Sonoma County, California^{[citation needed]}. Then in August 2001, Lillian passed away from lupus and complications from drinking^{[citation needed]}. Since moving back to Southern California in 2006, Otis has made but a handful of sporadic public appearances.

Both Lucky Otis and Eric Otis are also musicians based in the Los Angeles area.

Discography

Discography

Solo

• Here Comes Shuggie Otis (1969), Epic Records
• Freedom Flight (1971), Epic Records
• Inspiration Information (1974), Epic Records

With The Johnny Otis Show

• "Snatch & The Poontangs" (1969), Kent Records
• "Cold Shot!" (1969), Kent Records
• "Cuttin' Up!" (1969), Kent Records
• "The Johnny Otis Show Live At Monterey!" (1970), CBS Records

With Al Kooper

• "Kooper Session" (1969), CBS Records

With Preston Love

• "Preston Love's Omaha-Bar-B-Q" (1969), Kent Records

With Guitar Slim Green

• "Stone Down Blues" (1970), Kent Records

Compilations

• "Shuggie's Boogie: Shuggie Otis Plays The Blues" (1994), Epic Records/Legacy Recordings
• "In Session: Great Rhythm & Blues" (2002), Golden Lane Records

Samples

• "Island Letter" sampled by Digable Planets for the track "For Corners" from the album "Blowout Comb" (1994).
• "Strawberry Letter 23" sampled by DJ Quik for the track "Dollaz + Sense" from the album "Safe + Sound" (1995).
• Also sampled by OutKast for the track "Ms. Jackson" from the album "Stankonia" (2001).
• Also sampled by Beyoncé for the track "Be With You" from the album "Dangerously In Love" (2003).
• "Rainy Day" sampled by Beyoncé for the track "Gift from Virgo" from the album "Dangerously In Love" (2003).
• "Oxford Gray" sampled by RJD2 for the track "Ring Finger" from the album "Since We Last Spoke" (2004).
• "Oxford Gray" sampled by Alchemist for the track "B.I.G T.W.I.N.S" from the album "The Grimey Collection" (2008).
• "Not Available" sampled by J Dilla for the track "Donuts (Outro)" from the album "Donuts" (2006).
• Aht Uh Mi Hed sampled by Mýa for the track Things Come and Go

Guest appearances

• Bass for Frank Zappa's track "Peaches en Regalia" from the album Hot Rats" (1969).
• Electric guitar for Mos Def's track "Blue Black Jack" from the album The New Danger" (2004).

See also

• Psychedelic soul
• List of Greek Americans
• List of Frank Zappa musicians
• 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die

External links

• Shuggie Otis Biography on the Luaka Bop website
• Shuggie Otis at Allmusic
• Shuggie Otis Interviewed in October, 2009 on KKZQ with Jeff Duran (YouTube audio transcript)