Otis Rush Jr. was born on April 29, 1934, and passed away on September 29, 2018. He was an American blues guitarist and singer who wrote songs. His guitar style was unique, with a slow and smooth sound and long, curved notes. His music shared similarities with the styles of other 1950s musicians, Magic Sam and Buddy Guy. Because of this, his sound became known as West Side Chicago blues. Many musicians, such as Michael Bloomfield, Peter Green, and Eric Clapton, were influenced by his music.

Otis was left-handed and played with his left hand. However, his guitars were set up with the low E string at the bottom, which is the opposite of how most guitarists arrange their strings. He often used his little finger from his picking hand to hold the low E string in place. Many people believe this technique helped create his unique sound. He had a deep and strong voice.

Early life

Otis Rush was born in 1934 near Philadelphia, Mississippi, during the Great Depression. His parents were sharecroppers named Julia Campbell Boyd and Otis C. Rush. He had six brothers and sisters, and he worked on the family farm from a young age. His mother sometimes took him out of school so he could help earn money when cotton prices were high and white landowners needed more workers.

Music was a source of comfort for Otis. He sang in gospel choirs and taught himself to play the guitar and harmonica. He often played music on street corners. "This is where my soul came from. This is where my faith started," he said about Neshoba County.

Otis wanted to avoid a life working in the cotton fields. At the age of 14, he moved to Chicago. There, he worked in stockyards, steel mills, and drove a horse-drawn coal wagon. In the evenings, he spent time at the city's blues clubs.

Career

Otis moved to Chicago, Illinois, in 1949. He was inspired by watching Muddy Waters and worked hard to improve his music skills. He began performing in blues clubs on the South and West Sides of the city, using the name Little Otis. Willie Dixon saw his performance and signed him to Cobra Records, a local record label. From 1956 to 1958, with Dixon producing, Cobra recorded and released eight songs that made Otis famous, including "Double Trouble," "All Your Love (I Miss Loving)," and "Three Times a Fool." Some of these songs featured musicians like Ike Turner or Jody Williams on guitar. Cobra and Otis' first single, "I Can't Quit You Baby," became a national hit in 1956, reaching number six on the Billboard R&B chart. It stayed on the chart for six weeks. In 1957, Cash Box named his next release, "My Love Will Never Die," their Award of the Week. That same year, R&B disc jockeys voted him the Most Promising Up and Coming Male Vocalist.

Otis became a popular performer in Chicago's clubs, known for his exciting guitar playing and powerful singing. He toured nationally with other famous R&B and rock and roll artists, including Little Richard, Buddy Holly and The Crickets, Carl Perkins and The Drifters. He played at top venues like the Apollo in New York City. Later, he returned to Chicago and performed in clubs again, drawing large crowds. However, most of his songs recorded for Cobra Records did not become national hits, even though they were well-made.

Otis helped introduce other musicians to Cobra Records. In 1957, he recommended Magic Sam for recording, and in 1958, he played rhythm guitar on Buddy Guy's first Chicago recording. In 1959, Cobra Records went out of business. Otis then signed with Chess Records in 1960 and recorded eight songs for them. Only four were released, including the powerful song "So Many Roads." In 1969, Chess released all eight songs on an album called Door to Door, which also included recordings by Albert King. Otis was unhappy with how Chess controlled his work and later signed with Duke Records. However, Duke did not support him well, recording only one session and releasing one single, "Homework" backed with "I Have to Laugh," which was released in the UK in 1963.

In 1965, Otis recorded five songs for a project called Chicago/The Blues/Today! for Vanguard Records, including a version of "I Can't Quit You Baby" and a slow blues song by B.B. King called "It's My Own Fault." These recordings were later included in a compilation album that introduced Otis to new audiences. During the 1960s, Otis performed in the United States and Europe, joining the American Folk Blues Festival and playing at the Ann Arbor Blues Festival. In 1966, recordings from the University of Chicago Folkfest were released, along with songs by Little Walter. In 1969, Cotillion Records, a subsidiary of Atlantic Records, released Otis' first full album, Mourning in the Morning. The album was recorded and produced by Michael Bloomfield and Nick Gravenites, who were part of the band Electric Flag. They added soul and rock music to Otis' style, which was new for him. While some critics did not like the album, it later became popular among a small group of fans.

In 1971, Otis recorded an album called Right Place, Wrong Time in San Francisco for Capitol Records. However, Capitol did not release it. Otis bought the recordings and, with help from Dick Sherman, released the album in 1976 on P-Vine Records in Japan and later in the United States. The album is now considered some of his best work.

The Chicago-based Delmark label released two of Otis' albums, including So Many Roads – Live in Concert, recorded in Japan, where he had many fans. When Otis performed in Japan in 1975, live blues shows were rare there. His album was well-received by critics and the public. However, the blues industry struggled in the late 1970s because of the popularity of disco music, making it harder to record blues. Otis continued to tour overseas and record for European labels, but he could not release new music in the United States for many years. By the end of the 1970s, he stopped performing and recording.

Otis made a comeback in 1985 with a U.S. tour and the release of a live album, Tops, recorded with a West Coast band at the San Francisco Blues Festival. The album received good reviews. In 1986, he performed with Eric Clapton at the Montreux Jazz Festival.

In 1994, Mercury Records released Ain't Enough Comin' In, his first studio album in 16 years. The album introduced him to a new generation of fans and was praised by blues critics. In 1995, he opened for Pearl Jam at Chicago's Soldier Field. His 1998 album, Any Place I'm Goin', earned him a Grammy Award for Best Traditional Blues Album.

Despite his success overseas and the release of his European recordings in the United States, Otis missed some big opportunities. He turned down an invitation to record and tour with the Rolling Stones. He also declined offers from Johnny Winter and Carlos Santana, even though Santana admired him. Otis did not record a new studio album after 1998, but he continued to tour and perform until 2003, when he had a stroke.

In 2002, Otis performed on the Hey Bo Diddley – A Tribute! album, singing the song "I'm a Man." In the 2005 movie Devil's Rejects, he performed "I Can't Quit You Baby" from the 1962 American Folk Blues Festival. The movie's director, Rob Zombie, used the original Cobra recording for the soundtrack. His 1999 live album, Live and in Concert, was released in 2006. Video footage from the same show was released on the DVD Live Part 1 in 2003.

In June 2016, Otis made a rare appearance at the Chicago Blues Festival in Grant Park. Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel honored him for "a lifetime of genius" and declared June 12 as Otis Rush Day in Chicago. He was unable to perform due to health issues but was present with his family. A video of him singing his 1956 hit "I Can't Quit You Baby" was shown, along with messages from Carlos Santana, Steve Miller, and Buddy Guy. A tribute concert followed, with musicians like Lurie Bell, Jimmy Johnson, Ronnie Earl, and Eddy Clearwater performing songs by Otis

Awards

In 1978, Otis Rush was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Ethnic or Traditional Recording for his work "Right Place, Wrong Time." In 1980, he was again nominated for the same category for "So Many Roads." In 1995, he received a Grammy nomination for Best Traditional Blues Album for "Ain't Enough Comin' In." In 1999, he won a Grammy Award for Best Traditional Blues Album for "Any Place I'm Going."

Otis Rush was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 1984. In 2007, the Mississippi Blues Commission placed a marker honoring Otis Rush on the Mississippi Blues Trail in Philadelphia, Mississippi. The marker is located at the old train depot (Welcome Center) on West Beacon Street, State Route 21, where he took a train heading north in 1948.

In 2015, Rolling Stone magazine ranked Otis Rush number 53 on its list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists. In 2018, the Jazz Foundation of America presented him with a Lifetime Achievement Award for his contributions to blues and music.

Death

Otis Rush passed away on September 29, 2018, due to health problems caused by a stroke. He was 84 years old. His wife, Masaki, shared the news of his death on his website. A celebration to honor his life was held at Space in Evanston, Illinois, on April 24, 2019.

Selected discography

A detailed discography with images is available at the following website: https://www.wirz.de/music/rushotis.htm

• 1956 "I Can't Quit You Baby" / "Sit Down Baby" (Cobra 5000)
• 1956 "My Love Will Never Die" / "Violent Love" (Cobra 5005)
• 1957 "Groaning the Blues" / "If You Were Mine" (Cobra 5010)
• 1957 "Jump Sister Bessie" / "Love That Woman" (Cobra 5015)
• 1957 "She's a Good 'Un" / "Three Times a Fool" (Cobra 5023)
• 1958 "Checking on My Baby" / "It Takes Time" (Cobra 5027)
• 1958 "Double Trouble" / "Keep On Loving Me Baby" (Cobra 5030)
• 1958 "All Your Love (I Miss Loving)" / "My Baby's a Good 'Un" (Cobra 5032)
• 1960 "So Many Roads So Many Trains" / "I'm Satisfied" (Chess 1751)
• 1960 "You Know My Love" / "I Can't Stop Baby" (Chess 1775)
• 1962 "Homework" / "I Have to Laugh" (Duke 356 and Vocalion VP 92600)
• 1969 "Gambler's Blues" / "You're Killing My Love" (Cotillion 44032)

• 1965 Chicago/The Blues/Today! Vol. 2 (Vanguard)
• 1969 Door to Door, with Albert King (Chess)
• 1989 I Can't Quit You Baby: The Cobra Sessions 1956–1958 (P-Vine)
• 2000 Good 'Uns: The Classic Cobra Recordings 1956–1958 (Westside)
• 2000 The Essential Otis Rush: The Classic Cobra Recordings 1956–1958 (Fuel 2000)
• 2002 Blue on Blues: Buddy Guy & Otis Rush (Fuel 2000)
• 2006 Live at Montreux 1986 (Eagle Rock Entertainment) (joint performance with Eric Clapton and Luther Allison)

• 1968 This One's a Good One (Blue Horizon)
• 1969 Mourning in the Morning (Cotillion)
• 1972 Blues Masters, Vol. 2
• 1975 Screamin' and Cryin' (Black & Blue)
• 1975 Cold Day in Hell (Delmark)
• 1976 So Many Roads (Delmark)
• 1976 All Your Love I Miss Loving: Live at the Wise Fools Pub, Chicago (Delmark, released 2005)
• 1976 Right Place, Wrong Time (Bullfrog)
• 1978 Troubles Troubles (Sonet)
• 1988 Tops (Blind Pig)
• 1989 Blues Interaction – Live in Japan 1986 (P-Vine)
• 1991 Lost in the Blues (Alligator ALCD4797)
• 1993 Live in Europe (Evidence Music ECD 26034–2)
• 1994 Ain't Enough Comin' In (This Way Up/Mercury)
• 1998 Any Place I'm Going (House of Blues)
• 2006 Live…and in Concert from San Francisco (Blues Express)
• 2009 Chicago Blues Festival 2001 (P-Vine)
• 2015 Double Trouble LIVE Cambridge 1973 (RockBeat Records)

• 2003 Live Part One (Blues Express)
• 2006 Live at Montreux 1986 (Eagle Rock Entertainment)