Otis Spann

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Otis Spann (born March 21, 1930 in Jackson , Mississippi , † April 24, 1970 in Chicago , Illinois ) was an American blues pianist and singer.

Life

Spann's biological father was a locally known pianist named Friday Ford and his mother's name was Josephine Erby, who played guitar and sang. She had played with Memphis Minnie and Bessie Smith , among others . Spann taught himself to play the piano. Not yet ten years old, he played the piano or the organ in his stepfather's church. With his cousin, the pianist Johnnie Jones (1924–1964), who later made recordings with Elmore James , he played in bars and at parties during his teenage years. Between 1947 and 1951, Spann served in the US Army in Japan and Germany. After that he held the position of pianist in the band of Muddy Waters for a long time , actually he had never left the band entirely, even when he formed his own combo. One reason for this two-pronged journey - solo career and permanent band member - was given by Spann to journalist Peter Guralnick on the hand of Little Walter : “When I played with him in the Muddy Waters Band, Little Walter recorded the title Juke . As soon as he heard that his song was being played on the radio, he got out of Muddy’s house to do his own thing, but nobody can really tell how far and long such a hit will take you - it could be over on the next street corner ! "

Early on in the 1950s, he established himself as the main studio pianist for Chess Records in Chicago; there he accompanied u. a. Howlin 'Wolf , Bo Diddley , Chuck Berry . In 1958, Spann and Muddy Waters played with the group of British trombonist Chris Barber on a tour of England. In 1960, Spann recorded a long-playing record with Robert Junior Lockwood for the CANDID label , which received critical acclaim and is considered one of his best. During the American Folk Blues Festival tour in October 1963 he recorded a solo record for the Storyville label in Copenhagen - only vocals and piano; on the same day he accompanied Lonnie Johnson , who recorded an LP for the same label. In 1965/66 he made recordings under his own name for the Testament label (solo or with drummer Robert Whitehead), in 1966 he accompanied Johnny Shines , Eddie Taylor and Floyd Jones on the same label for their releases. In 1965, the then line-up of the Muddy Waters Band played an album for Prestige Records ; Muddy Waters himself appeared on these recordings as Dirty Rivers because of an exclusive contract with Chess . Although the record was released under Spann's name, James Cotton was an equal front man.

The entire 1960s were very productive years for the studio pianist Spann: In addition to his work for Chess, he recorded under his own name for the Vanguard label with a complete band or just the drummer SP Leary , and played LPs with John Lee as a member of the band Muddy Waters Hooker for Bluesway and Big Mama Thornton for Arhoolie . On the latter label, he played piano in 1968 on a long-playing record by guitarist and mandolinist Johnny Young.

In the late 1960s he played on albums by Buddy Guy , Peter Green and Fleetwood Mac . Since separating from Muddy, he has supported his wife Lucille Spann (born 1938) in her singing career. His last musical accents were on the Southside Blues Jam ( Delmark Records ) by singer and blues harp player Junior Wells . Three months later, Spann, who lived just a few meters from his old band leader, died of cancer; the music magazine Rolling Stone devoted a lengthy article to him.

Discography (selection)

Albums

  • 1960 - Otis Spann Is the Blues, Candid
  • 1963 - Piano Blues, Storyville
  • 1963 - Portrait in Blues, Storyville
  • 1964 - The Blues of Otis Spann, Decca
  • 1965 - Otis Spann's Chicago Blues, Testament Records
  • 1965 - The Blues Never Die! Prestige, Original Blues Classics
  • 1966 - The Blues Is Where It's At, BluesWay, BGO Records
  • 1967 - Nobody Knows My Troubles, Bounty, Polydor
  • 1967 - Raw Blues (with John Mayall , Eric Clapton and others), Decca, London
  • 1968 - The Bottom of the Blues, BluesWay, BGO Records
  • 1969 - The Biggest Thing Since Colossus (with Fleetwood Mac ), Blue Horizon, Columbia / Sony Music
  • 1969 - Cracked Spanner Head, Decca
  • 1969 - Blues Jam at Chess (with Fleetwood Mac et al.), Blue Horizon, Sony Music Rewind
  • 1969 - Fathers and Sons, Chess
  • 1970 - Cryin 'Time, Vanguard
  • 1970 - Otis Spann, Everest
  • 1970 - Sweet Giant of the Blues, Blues Time
  • 1970 - The Everlasting Blues, Spivey
  • 1972 - Walking the Blues, Candid
  • 1973 - Heart Loaded with Trouble, BluesWay
  • 1974 - Blues Rocks, Blues Time
  • 1974 - Cry Before I Go, BluesWay
  • 1983 - Nobody Knows Chicago Like I Do, Charly Records
  • 1984 - Rarest, JSP
  • 1990 - This Is the Blues, Roots
  • 1997 - Live the Life, Testament
  • 1999 - Best of Vanguard Years, Vanguard
  • 2000 - Last Call - Live at the Boston Tea Party April 2nd, 1970, Universe
  • 2003 - I Wanna Go Home, Hightone Records - Reissue of Otis Spann's Chicago Blues
  • 2005 - The Blues of Otis Spann / Cracked Spanner Head (2 Originals), Beat Goes On (BGO Records)
  • 2006 - Complete Blue Horizon Sessions, Blue Horizon, Columbia
  • 2006 - Otis Spann - From the Archives (Digitally Remastered), Essential Media Group

DVDs

  • 2002 Various Artists - Colin James presents The Blues Masters
  • 2009 US Blues Tour '63

Services

There are several film recordings of Otis Spann, also on DVD , including his appearance at the Newport Folk Festival in 1960 . As a singer he can be heard on the albums American Folk Blues Festival (1963) and The Blues Masters (1966).

In 1980 Otis Spann was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame .

Web links

swell

  • Liner notes, THE BLUES NEVER DIE, Prestige Records
  • Sheldon Harris, BLUES WHO'S WHO
  • Liner notes, PORTRAIT IN BLUES, Storyville Records
  • Peter Guralnick , LOST HIGHWAY