Live on the Johnny Otis Show. + Informações

With Mel Williams, Marie Adams, Lionel Hampton and more. So cool!!!! If you like classic music, check out my concert posters at www.kardboardkid.com If you are gonna subscribe to me, also subscribe to my other channel, "TheKardboardkid".. + Informações

Johnny Otis performs his monster hit "Willie and the Hand Jive" on his TV show. Late fifties? with Marie Adams, the Three Tons of Joy, and Lionel Hampton.. + Informações

Johnny Otis, one of the pioneers of rhythm and blues, said he always wanted to be black. And for most people who heard his music, they though he was. He discovered and worked with some of the early great R & B vocalists who would lay the foundation for rock and roll. Otis produced Big Mama Thornton's original recording of "Hound Dog", which Elvis Presley would later re-record to help launch his career. I did this profile piece on Otis for the Today Show back in 1983.. + Informações

Johnny Otis (and friends) perform "Willie and the Hand Jive". 1958 PLEASE NOTE: All posted images, words and music are believed to be in the public domain and/or are permitted under "fair use" principles. No copyright infringement is intended.. + Informações

1945 Excelsior sides / Rene Block on Alto Sax. + Informações

And the bad news keeps on coming. On Jnuary 17th we lost a LEGEND. Johnny Otis Johnny Otis dies at 90; R&B singer wrote 'Willie and the Hand Jive' Johnny Otis, who is white, grew up in a predominantly black neighborhood and had a deep connection to black culture. He discovered Etta James and Little Richard. By Randy Lewis, Los Angeles Times January 19, 2012 Pioneering rhythm-and-blues singer, songwriter, drummer, bandleader and disc jockey Johnny Otis made the kind of conscious life choice early on that few people have the inclination, or circumstance, to carry out. Born white, the son of Greek immigrant parents, and raised in a predominantly black neighborhood in Northern California in the 1920s, Otis decided as a youth that he'd rather be black. The choice put him on a path to a life in music during which he created the sensually pulsing 1958 hit "Willie and the Hand Jive." It also gave him a deep connection to black culture that helped him discover such future stars of R&B and rock as Etta James, Little Richard, Jackie Wilson, Hank Ballard and Little Esther Phillips. "Yes, I chose," Otis told The Times in 1979, "because despite all the hardships, there's a wonderful richness in black culture that I prefer." Otis died Tuesday (January 17, 2012) in the Los Angeles area, where he had lived for much of his life, said Tom Reed, a black-music historian. He was 90. Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994, Otis continued leading a big band R&B, jazz, soul, gospel .... + Informações

In Memoriam: Johnny Otis (December 28, 1921 -- January 17, 2012). + Informações

Johnny Otis, the "godfather of rhythm and blues" who wrote and recorded the R&B classic "Willie and the Hand Jive" and for decades evangelized black music to white audiences as a bandleader and radio host, has died. He was 90. Otis, who had been in poor health for several years, died at his home in the Los Angeles foothill suburb of Altadena on Tuesday, said his manager, Terry Gould. Otis, who was white, was born John Veliotes to Greek immigrants and grew up in a black section of Berkeley, where he said he identified far more with black culture than his own. As a teenager, he changed his name because he thought Johnny Otis sounded more black. "As a kid, I decided that if our society dictated that one had to be black or white, I would be black," he once explained. His musical tastes clearly reflected that adopted culture and even after he became famous, his dark skin and hair often led audiences and club promoters to assume he was black like his band mates. Otis was leading his own band in 1945 when he scored his first big hit, "Harlem Nocturne." In 1950, 10 of his songs made Billboard Magazine's R&B chart. His "Willie and the Hand Jive" sold more than 1.5 million copies and was covered years later by Eric Clapton. He later wrote "Every Beat of My Heart," which was a hit for Gladys Knight & the Pips. But the influence of Otis was felt most through his ability to recognize and promote talent. He wove into his bands such diverse and legendary R&B vocalists as Etta James .... + Informações

Great Mambo issued on Savoy Records.. + Informações

RIP Johnny Otis... nyti.ms Rare early '70s clip (Sweet Home Chicago / Bye Bye Baby) of teenage blues guitar phenom Shuggie Otis sharing the stage with his father Johnny Otis and guest Roy Buchanan. A version with enhanced audio is available here: www.youtube.com. + Informações

From the albumthe 1984 Johnny Otis Show, with vocals by Charles Williams and Barbara Morrison. + Informações

Recorded in 1950. Johnny Otis was the child of Greek immigrants Alexander J. Veliotes, a Mare Island longshoreman and grocery store owner, and his wife, the former Irene Kiskakes, a painter. He was the older brother of Nicholas A. Veliotes, former US Ambassador to Jordan (1978--1981) and to Egypt (1984--1986). Otis grew up in a predominantly black neighborhood in Berkeley, California, where his father owned and operated a neighborhood grocery store. Otis became well-known for his choice to live his professional and personal life as a member of the African-American community. 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." After playing drums in a variety of swing orchestras, including Lloyd Hunter's Serenaders and Harlan Leonard's Rockets, he founded his own band in 1945. He had one of the most enduring hits of the big band era, "Harlem Nocturne". His band included Wynonie Harris and Charles Brown. In 1947, he and Bardu Ali opened the Barrelhouse Club in the Watts district of Los Angeles, California. 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 1950. In the .... + Informações

Recorded in 1945 by Johnny Otis, His Drums, and His Orchestra with an Alto Sax Solo by Kent Pope. Ioannis Veliotes, 28 December 1921, Vallejo, California, USA. Born into a family of Greek immigrants, Otis was raised in a largely black neighbourhood where he thoroughly absorbed the prevailing culture and lifestyle. He began playing drums in his mid-teens and worked for a time with some of the locally based jazz bands, including, in 1941, Lloyd Hunter's orchestra. In 1943, he gained his first name-band experience when he joined Harlan Leonard for a short spell. Some sources suggest that, during the difficult days when the draft was pulling musicians out of bands all across the USA, Otis then replaced another ex-Leonard drummer, Jesse Price, in the Stan Kenton band. In the mid-40s Otis also recorded with several jazz groups, including Illinois Jacquet's all-star band and a septet led by Lester Young, which also featured Howard McGhee and Willie Smith. In 1945, Otis formed his own big band in Los Angeles. In an early edition assembled for a recording session, he leaned strongly towards a blues-based jazz repertoire and hired such musicians as Eli Robinson, Paul Quinichette, Teddy Buckner, Bill Doggett, Curtis Counce and singer Jimmy Rushing. This particular date produced a major success in 'Harlem Nocturne'. He also led a small band, including McGhee and Teddy Edwards, on a record date backing Wynonie Harris. Otis was aware of audience interest in R&B and began to angle his .... + Informações

From the 1977 LP "Back To Jazz." Vocals by Barbara Morrison.. + Informações

Bandleader, musician, and R&B pioneer and genius Johnny Otis passed on January 17, 2012. His single "Head Hunter" was recorded in Los Angeles on December 19, 1949, and was released on Savoy 774.. + Informações

1950 single: Love Will Break Your Heart / I Don't Care (Savoy 775) ~. + Informações

PLEASE NOTE: I divided my uploads between multiple channels, Bookmark this link in your browser for instant access to an index with links to all of John1948's oldies classics. LINK: tinyurl.com Johnny Otis BiographyJohnny Otis has modeled an amazing number of contrasting musical hats over a career spanning more than half a century. Bandleader, record producer, talent scout, label owner, nightclub impresario, disc jockey, TV variety show host, author, R&B pioneer, rock & roll star -- Otis has answered to all those descriptions and quite a few more. Not bad for a Greek-American who loved jazz and R&B so fervently that he adopted the African-American culture as his own. California-born John Veliotes changed his name to the blacker-sounding Otis when he was in his teens. Drums were his first passion -- he spent time behind the traps with the Oakland-based orchestra of Count Otis Matthews and kept time for various Midwestern swing outfits before settling in Los Angeles during the mid-'40s and joining Harlan Leonard's Rockets, then resident at the Club Alabam. It wasn't long before the Alabam's owner entreated Otis to assemble his own orchestra for house-band duties. The group's 1945 debut sides for Excelsior were solidly in the big-band jazz vein and included an arrangement of the moody "Harlem Nocturne" that sold well. Shouter Jimmy Rushing fronted the band for two tracks at the same date. Otis's rep as a drummer was growing; he backed both Wynonie Harris and Charles Brown .... + Informações

another classic. + Informações

Fabulous tune released in 1954. Flip is I've searched the whole world. Audio transfered from original vinyl 45.. + Informações

SHAKE IT - Johnny Otis [Peacock 1636] 1954 (Phyllis Otis) Lion Publishing Co. BMI Hand Writing Matrix: 45-D-119 11164 My Facebook Page www.facebook.com Night Beat Records (Japan) www.nightbeatrecords.com Records Blog djjames.seesaa.net (Sorry, Japanese text only). + Informações

JazzAndBluesExperience - (Re)Discover the Jazz and Blues greatest hits - JazznBluesExperience is your channel for all the best jazz and blues music. Find your favorite songs and artists and experience the best of jazz music and blues music. Subscribe for free to stay connected to our channel and easily access our video updates! - Facebook FanPage: www.facebook.com - JazzAndBluesExperience: www.youtube.com. + Informações

Sittin' here listenin' Original Issue PEACOCK 1648 (1955) Blues from Otis and Orchestra.. + Informações

The name of this song is "HOLLERIN' AND SCREAMIN'" by Johnny Otis & Little Esther from 1953. American rhythm and blues.. + Informações

from the album Cold Shot. + Informações