Rhythm and Blues (R&B) - 1940 - 1960
Here is an example of R&B by Johnny Otis
Johnny Otis was born on December 28, 1921 and died very recently on January 17, 2012. Johnny Otis’ parents were Greek immigrants. His father’s name was Alexander J. Veliotes. He was a Mare Island longshoremen and a grocery store owner. He was the older brother of Nicholas A. Veliotes. Otis grew up in Berkeley, California. He has written, “As a kid I decided that if our society dictated that one had to be black or white, I would be black.” His son was Shuggie Otis.
|
Otis has played drums for many swing orchestras. To mention a few: Lloyd Hunter’s Serenaders or Harlan Leonard’s Rockets. Otis came up with his own band in 1945 and had one of the best hits of the ear, the song was called “Harlem Nocturne.” His band included Wynonie Harris and Charles Brown. Soon later he reduced the size of his band and then hired singers such as Mel Walker, Little Esther Phillips, and the Robins. His band’s name was California Rhythm and Blues Caravan. In 1940 Otis discovered new talent. This man’s name was Big Jay McNeely. In 1949, Johnny began releasing a bunch of records that all at one point or another made number one in the R&B charts. Some of these records include: “Double Crossing Blues”, “Mistrustin' Blues” and “Cupid Boogie.”
Fun Facts
|