Page 51 - Blues Festival Guide Magazine 2018

While playing in the clubs of the South and West Sides,
Otis came to the attention of famed songwriter-producer Willie
Dixon. “I Can’t Quit You Baby,” a Dixon composition, was the
first release on a new label, Cobra. Ads touting the “21-year-
old sensation” appeared as the record climbed the charts.
His second record, “My Love Will Never Die,” a dramatic
minor-key blues with unforgettable falsetto highlights, earned
a Cash Box “Award o’ the Week.” In a 1957 Cash Box poll,
the nation’s R&B disc jockeys voted Otis the most promising
“Up-and-Coming Male Vocalist.” Now a hot act in the Chicago
clubs, Otis also began touring, sometimes with R&B and rock
‘n roll package shows at top venues including the Apollo in
New York. Promoters may have believed that as a young,
good-looking act, he had teen appeal, and he was booked on
bills with the likes of Little Richard, Carl Perkins, Buddy Holly
and the Crickets, and the Drifters.
But Otis’ blues may have been too deep for the younger
set, or else his aversion to touring started to surface. Soon he
was back to playing the local clubs, where his blues continued
to draw good crowds. The failure of his other Cobra singles to
sell well nationally despite their musical excellence was also
a source of disillusionment, setting an unfortunate precedent
for his career. His 1956-1959 Cobra sides – eight singles
and a number of alternate takes – are still regarded as a
benchmark of electric blues and set a standard that even Otis
was challenged to meet in the years to come.
In 1960, Dixon took Otis to Chess Records, where he cut
another classic, “So Many Roads,” and in 1962 he did a
session for Duke Records highlighted by “Homework.” But
again, no hits resulted. For several years, Otis led one of the Rooster Blues Records publicity photo, 1985.
best bands in Chicago but did no recording except for a few Photo by Kirk West, courtesy BluEsoterica Archives
tracks on Vanguard’s Chicago/The Blues/Today! series and Otis had taken a job at a store on the South Side and was
a few more in Germany on tour with the 1966 American playing only when called to go to Japan, where he had met
Folk Blues Festival. The 1960s blues revival brought him a his wife Masaki in 1975, or to Tramps, a club in New York.
white following in America and Europe that would become Then saxophonist Abb Locke convinced him to play on a
his primary base of support. His first LPs were a compilation recording session for a 45 that Abb made for Rooster Blues
of his Cobra sides and a Muscle Shoals studio album that (another enterprise Amy and I cofounded with friends).
helped bring his name to the fore again in 1969: Mourning I wanted to see Otis back on the scene and recording
in the Morning. Otis, however, was less than fond of the final again, and a young musician I had met, Dan Ivankovich (now
product. As Otis’ friend, noted blues aficionado and producer known as Dr. Dan), got Otis some local gigs. Offers for out-
Dick Shurman says, “Neither the road nor the studio really of-town work started to come in and I helped as I could. One
agreed with him, and sometimes the tension associated with a day Otis told me, “You’re my manager.” That was never my
new release and touring seemed to make things even worse.” intention, but when the master calls, as they say...
By the time Living Blues magazine published its first issue I traveled with Otis to the West Coast in 1985. He played
in 1970, I and my ex-wife Amy van Singel, one of the other with pickup bands at each stop with varying results, but one
magazine cofounders, were already Otis Rush fanatics. performance, with the Bobby Murray band at the San Francisco
Together with Dick, we interviewed Otis several times and Blues Festival, came off without a hitch. Festival Director Tom
attended a recording session he did for the Delmark LP Cold Mazzolini taped the set, which he rightly considered good
Day in Hell in 1975, in addition to many of his shows. Amy enough for an album. I turned it down (not a wise decision in
took photos for a “lost” album (and one of Otis’ best), Right retrospect) because I preferred to give Otis the chance to record
Place, Wrong Time, that had been shelved until Dick helped some originals and songs that he had not recorded before, and
rescue it and find a label, Bullfrog, to release it. That was the to record them the way he wanted. Blind Pig Records made a
extent of my relationship with Otis until 1983. At that point, deal for the live album and gave it the title Tops.

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