Johnny Shuggie Otis (born Johnny Alexander Veliotes Jr.; November 30, 1953) is an American singer-songwriter, recording artist, and multi-instrumentalist. Otis's composition " Strawberry Letter 23" as recorded by The Brothers Johnson topped the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

R&B chart The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...

and reached #5 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart in 1977. He achieved commercial success with his 1974 single "Inspiration Information" (from the album of the same title), reaching #56 on the R&B chart.

Biography

Born in Los Angeles, California, Otis is the son of

rhythm and blues Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated within African American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predomina ...

musician, bandleader, and

impresario An impresario (from Italian ''impresa'', 'an enterprise or undertaking') is a person who organizes and often finances concerts, Play (theatre), plays, or operas, performing a role in stage arts that is similar to that of a film producer, film or ...

Johnny Otis Johnny Otis (born Ioannis Alexandres Veliotes (Greek language, Greek: Ιωάννης Αλέξανδρος Βελιώτης)); December 28, 1921 – January 17, 2012) was a Greek American singer, musician, composer, bandleader, record producer, ...

(1921–2012), who was of

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

descent, and his wife Phyllis Walker (1922–2016), who was of

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

and Filipino descent. The name "Shuggie" (short for "sugar", according to his mother) was coined by Phyllis when he was a newborn. Otis began playing guitar when he was two years old and performing professionally with his father's band at the age of eleven, often disguising himself with dark glasses and a false mustache so that he could play with his father's band in after-hours

nightclub A nightclub or dance club is a club that is open at night, usually for drinking, dancing and other entertainment. Nightclubs often have a Bar (establishment), bar and discotheque (usually simply known as disco) with a dance floor, laser lighti ...

s. Otis is primarily known as a guitarist and also sings and plays a multitude of other instruments. While growing up with and being heavily influenced by many

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

and R&B musicians in his father's immediate circle, Otis began to gravitate towards the popular music of his generation such as

Jimi Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American singer-songwriter and musician. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential guitarists of all time. Inducted ...

, Arthur Lee (of the band

Love Love is a feeling of strong attraction and emotional attachment (psychology), attachment to a person, animal, or thing. It is expressed in many forms, encompassing a range of strong and positive emotional and mental states, from the most su ...

), and

Sly Stone Sylvester Stewart (March 15, 1943 – June 9, 2025), better known by his stage name Sly Stone, was an American musician, songwriter and record producer. He was the frontman of Sly and the Family Stone, playing a critical role in the development ...

In 1969,

Al Kooper Al Kooper (born Alan Peter Kuperschmidt; February 5, 1944) is an American songwriter, record producer, and musician. Throughout much of the 1960s and 1970s he was a prolific studio musician, including playing organ on the Bob Dylan song " Like ...

asked Otis to be the featured guest on the second installment ('' Kooper Session'') of the '' Super Session'' album series that had previously included

Stephen Stills Stephen Arthur Stills (born January 3, 1945) is an American musician, singer, and songwriter best known for his work with Buffalo Springfield; Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Crosby, Stills & Nash; Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young; and Manassas (band ...

and

Mike Bloomfield Michael Bernard Bloomfield (July 28, 1943 – February 15, 1981) was an American blues guitarist and composer. Born in Chicago, he became one of the first popular music stars of the 1960s to earn his reputation almost entirely on his instrume ...

.Kooper and the then-fifteen-year-old Otis recorded the whole album over one weekend in New York. After returning to Los Angeles, Otis, along with his father and singer Delmar "Mighty Mouth" Evans, performed on the album ''Cold Shot'' (by the elder Otis), released in 1969 on the Los Angeles-based Kent label. Another obscure album this three-man team recorded was the extremely rare and risque ''Snatch & The Poontangs'', on which Otis recorded tracks under the pseudonym "Prince Wunnerful". Otis released his first solo album later that year entitled '' Here Comes Shuggie Otis'' on

Epic Records Epic Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the American division of Japanese conglomerate Sony is a Japanese multinational conglomerate (company), cong ...

. Guest musicians on his debut included Johnny, Leon Haywood, Al McKibbon, Wilton Felder. This further established his reputation and catapulted him to the attention of B. B. King, who was quoted in a 1970 issue of ''

Guitar Player ''Guitar Player'' was an American magazine for guitarists, founded in 1967 in San Jose, California San Jose, officially the City of San José ( ; ), is a cultural, commercial, and political center within Silicon Valley and the San Francis ...

'' magazine saying Otis was his "favorite new guitarist". Some of the artists Otis performed and recorded with during that time include

Frank Zappa Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American guitarist, composer, and bandleader. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa composed Rock music, rock, Pop music, pop, jazz, jazz fusion, orchestra ...

(having played electric bass on the instrumental, "

Peaches en Regalia "Peaches en Regalia" is an instrumental jazz fusion composition by Frank Zappa. It was initially released on Zappa's album ''Hot Rats'' in 1969 and has been recorded many times since. Other versions Years later, in 1987, the piece was released ...

" from the 1969 album '' Hot Rats''),

Etta James Jamesetta Hawkins (January 25, 1938 – January 20, 2012), known professionally as Etta James, was an American singer and songwriter. Starting her career in 1954, James frequently performed in Nashville's R&B clubs, collectively known as the Ch ...

Eddie Vinson Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson (born Edward L. Vinson Jr.; December 18, 1917 – July 2, 1988) was an American jump blues, jazz, bebop and rhythm and blues, R&B alto saxophonist and blues shouter. He was nicknamed "Cleanhead" after an incident in wh ...

, Richard Berry,

Louis Jordan Louis Thomas Jordan (July 8, 1908 – February 4, 1975) was an American saxophonist, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and bandleader who was popular from the late 1930s to the early 1950s. Known as "Honorific nicknames in popular music, the King ...

, and Bobby 'Blue' Bland, among many others. The album Otis received the most recognition for was his second

release in 1971, '' Freedom Flight'', which featured his hit " Strawberry Letter 23". Both the album and single reached the ''Billboard'' Top 200 and the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, respectively and caught the attention of Brothers Johnson guitarist George Johnson, who then played it for producer

Quincy Jones Quincy Delight Jones Jr. (March 14, 1933 – November 3, 2024) was an American record producer, composer, arranger, conductor, trumpeter, and bandleader. Over the course of his seven-decade career, he received List of awards and nominations re ...

. They covered the song and it became a hit. Even though Otis played most of his own parts in the studio, the lineup on this album was quite extensive, including keyboardist

George Duke George Martin Duke (January 12, 1946 – August 5, 2013) was an American keyboardist, composer, singer-songwriter and record producer. He worked with numerous artists as arranger, music director, writer and co-writer, record producer and as ...

and Aynsley Dunbar of

, Journey and

Whitesnake Whitesnake are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1978. The group were originally put together as the backing band for singer David Coverdale, who had recently left Deep Purple. Though the band quickly developed into their ow ...

fame. In 1974, Otis released '' Inspiration Information'', his third and final album for Epic Records. The album had taken almost three years to finish. All the songs were written and arranged by Otis himself, who played every

musical instrument A musical instrument is a device created or adapted to make Music, musical sounds. In principle, any object that produces sound can be considered a musical instrument—it is through purpose that the object becomes a musical instrument. A person ...

on the album, except for horns and some strings. ''Inspiration Information'' had but one single (the title track) reach the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. After the album's release, Otis was approached by

Billy Preston William Everett Preston (September 2, 1946 – June 6, 2006) was an American keyboardist, singer, and songwriter whose work encompassed R&B, rock, soul, funk, and gospel. Preston was a top session keyboardist in the 1960s, backing Little Richa ...

on behalf of

The Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for over six decades, they are one of the most popular, influential, and enduring bands of the Album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the band pione ...

, asking him to join the band for their upcoming world tour. He declined the offer, along with the chance to work with

in helping produce Otis's next album. After a series of similar refusals, Otis gained the reputation of "taking his time", and his

recording contract A recording contract (commonly called a record contract or record deal) is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording act (artist or group), where the act makes an audio recording (or series of recordings) for the label to sell and ...

with Epic Records was nullified. Otis's only credited works throughout the mid-1970s were done as a

session musician A session musician (also known as studio musician or backing musician) is a musician hired to perform in a recording session or a live performance. The term sideman is also used in the case of live performances, such as accompanying a reco ...

for his father's recording projects. ''Inspiration Information'' gained a

cult Cults are social groups which have unusual, and often extreme, religious, spiritual, or philosophical beliefs and rituals. Extreme devotion to a particular person, object, or goal is another characteristic often ascribed to cults. The term ...

following during the 1990s with the emergence of rare groove and

acid jazz Acid jazz (also known as club jazz, psychedelic jazz, or groove jazz) is a music genre that combines elements of funk, soul music, soul, and hip hop music, hip hop, as well as jazz and disco. Acid jazz originated in clubs in London during the 1 ...

. It was lauded by such musicians as

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...

and Lenny Kravitz. Due in part to this regained interest, the album was re-released on April 3, 2001, by

David Byrne David Byrne (; born May 14, 1952) is an American musician, writer, visual artist, and filmmaker. He was a founding member, principal songwriter, lead singer, and guitarist of the American New wave music, new wave band Talking Heads. Byrne has ...

's independent label

Luaka Bop Luaka Bop is a New York–based record label founded by musician David Byrne, former lead singer and guitarist for the art rock– new wave band Talking Heads. What began with Byrne making cassettes of his favorite Tropicália tracks for his fr ...

Records. This CD re-issue includes all nine original album tracks plus four songs taken from Otis' 1971 album ''Freedom Flight'', and features new cover art, liner notes, and exclusive never-seen-before photos. Otis is featured in every one of his father Johnny's books, as well as '' Alligator Records Presents West Coast Blues'', issued in August 1998. Otis and Sony Music Entertainment made a deal for a double CD which was released on April 20, 2013. It is a re-release of ''Inspiration/Information''. Added to the album are several bonus tracks, including an accompanying album entitled ''Wings of Love''. ''Wings of Love'' is an album of previously unreleased material, all of which was written from 1975 to the present, including live material from some of his performances. It will be available on Shugiterius records (Otis's company) and Sony records, through Sony Music Entertainment. Otis and a band entitled Shuggie Otis Rite toured internationally in 2013 in support of the release, including Australia, Japan, the U.S., Ireland and the U.K. Their performances earned rave reviews from critics. A new, mostly instrumental, album was released in April 2018 titled ''Inter-Fusion''.

Personal life

Otis had a son named Johnny III, known as

Lucky Otis Lucky Otis (born in Los Angeles, California), is a multi-instrumentalist, band leader, selector, and curator. Lucky is the grandson of rhythm and blues legend Johnny Otis and the son of singer songwriter, Shuggie Otis and Miss Mercy of The GTOs. ...

, with his first wife Miss Mercy of

The GTOs The GTOs (Girls Together Outrageously) were an all-girl group from the Los Angeles area, specifically the Sunset Strip scene. The group was active for two and a half years (1968–1970), followed by one reunion performance in 1974. Their only ...

, an all-girl group produced by

. Soon after his first marriage ended, he married Lillian Wilson (known as Teri), daughter of trumpeter/bandleader/Latin-jazz pioneer

Gerald Wilson Gerald Stanley Wilson (September 4, 1918 – September 8, 2014) was an American jazz trumpeter, big band bandleader, composer, arranger, and educator. Born in Mississippi, he was based in Los Angeles from the early 1940s. He arranged music for D ...

; they had a son, Eric, naming him after Eric Dolphy, who was one of Gerald's bandmates and close friends. Both of Shuggie's sons, Lucky and Eric, are musicians. Eric has played and toured in his father's band. Lucky, a bassist, began by playing with his grandfather, Johnny Otis, and then launched a solo career, heading his own group Otis Ledbetter with partner Louis Ledbetter, great-grandson of blues musician

Lead Belly Huddie William Ledbetter ( ; January 1888 or 1889 – December 6, 1949), better known by the stage name Lead Belly, was an American folk music, folk and blues singer notable for his strong vocals, virtuosity on the twelve-string guitar, and the ...

. He has also fronted a 13-piece rhythm-and-blues orchestra, The New Johnny Otis All-Stars, continuing his grandfather's

Big Band A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. Big bands originated during the early 1910s and ...

legacy.

Discography

Studio albums

*'' Here Comes Shuggie Otis'' (1970),

*'' Freedom Flight'' (1971), Epic Records *'' Inspiration Information'' (1974), Epic Records *''Inter-Fusion'' (2018),

Cleopatra Records Cleopatra Records is a Los Angeles-based independent record label that has the sub-labels Hypnotic Records, Goldenlane, Stardust, Purple Pyramid, Deadline and X-Ray Records. History Founded in January 1992 by Brian Perera, it specializes in go ...

Collaborations

With The

Show *''Cold Shot!'' (1968), Kent Records *''Snatch & The Poontangs'' (1969), Kent Records *''Cuttin' Up'' (1970),

*''The Johnny Otis Show Live at Monterey!'' (1970), Epic Records -LP*''The New Johnny Otis Show with Shuggie Otis'' (1981), Alligator Records *''Into the Eighties'' (1984), Charly R&B KRecords *''Otisology'' (1986), Kent Records *''Good Lovin' Blues'' (1990), Ace KRecords With

Bo Diddley Ellas Otha Bates (December 30, 1928 – June 2, 2008), known professionally as Bo Diddley, was an American guitarist and singer who played a key role in the transition from the blues to rock and roll. He influenced many artists, including Buddy ...

*'' Where It All Began'' (1972),

Chess Records Chess Records was an American record company established in 1950 in Chicago, specializing in blues and rhythm and blues. It was the successor to Aristocrat Records, founded in 1947. It expanded into soul music, gospel music, early rock an ...

With Guitar Slim Green *''Stone Down Blues'' (1970), Kent Records With

and Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson *''Blues in the Night Volume One: The Early Show'' (1986),

Fantasy Records Fantasy Records is an American independent record label company founded by brothers Max and Sol Stanley Weiss in 1949. The early years of the company were dedicated to issuing recordings by jazz pianist Dave Brubeck, who was also one of its inves ...

*''The Late Show: Blues in the Night Volume 2'' (1987), Fantasy Records With

*'' Kooper Session'' (1969), Columbia Records With Preston Love *''Preston Love's Omaha-Bar-B-Q'' (1969), Kent Records With

Orchestra * '' Lomelin'' (1981) Discovery Records With

" from the album '' Hot Rats'' (1969) With Jimmy Vivino *" Violet In Blue" from the album '' Novemberin''' (2008) With Mark Lotito *" Novemberin'" from the album '' Novemberin''' (2008)

Compilations

*''Shuggie's Boogie: Shuggie Otis Plays The Blues'' (1994),

Legacy Recordings Legacy Recordings is an American record label that is a division of Sony Music. Formed in 1990 after Sony's acquisition of CBS Records, Legacy originally handled the archives of Sony Music-owned labels Columbia Records and Epic Records. In 2 ...

*''World Psychedelic Classics 2: California Soul... Shuggie Otis - Inspiration Information'' (2001), Luaka Bop Records Reworking and reissue of Shuggie's 1974 album '' Inspiration Information''. *''In Session: Great Rhythm & Blues'' (2002), Golden Lane Records *''Original Album Classics: Shuggie Otis'' (2013),

-CD*''Wings of Love'' (2013),

Sony Records Sony Records was a record label founded by R&B duo Ike & Tina Turner in 1963. It was not affiliated with Sony Group Corporation. Ike Turner produced singles by members of the Kings of Rhythm and the Ikettes on Sony Records. Records on the la ...

Later samples

*"Island Letter" sampled by Digable Planets for the track "For Corners" from the album '' Blowout Comb'' (1994). *"Strawberry Letter 23" sampled by DJ Quik for the track "Dollaz + Sense" from the album '' Safe + Sound'' (1995). *"Aht Uh Mi Hed" sampled by Beginner (band) for the track "Liebes Lied" from the album ''Bambule'' (1998). *"Strawberry Letter 23" sampled by

OutKast Outkast (sometimes written as OutKast) was an American hip-hop duo formed in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1992, consisting of Big Boi (Antwan Patton) and André 3000 (André Benjamin, formerly known as Dré). Widely regarded as one of the greatest an ...

for the track "Ms. Jackson" from the album '' Stankonia'' (2001). *"Strawberry Letter 23" sampled by

Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and businesswoman. With a career spanning over three decades, she has established herself as one of the most Cultural impact of Beyoncé, ...

for the track "Be With You" from the album '' Dangerously in Love'' (2003). *"Rainy Day" sampled by

for the track "Gift from Virgo" from the album '' Dangerously In Love'' (2003). *"Oxford Gray" sampled by

RJD2 Ramble Jon Krohn (born May 27, 1976), better known by his stage name RJD2, is an American musician and record producer based in Columbus, Ohio. He is the owner of record label RJ's Electrical Connections. He has been a member of groups such as S ...

for the track "Ring Finger" from the album '' Since We Last Spoke'' (2004). *"Not Available" sampled by

J Dilla James Dewitt Yancey (February 7, 1974 – February 10, 2006), better known by the stage names J Dilla and Jay Dee, was an American record producer, composer and rapper. He emerged from the mid-1990s underground hip hop scene in Detroit, Michiga ...

for the track "Donuts (Outro)" and "Welcome to the Show" from the album '' Donuts'' (2006). *"Sweet Thang" sampled by Criolo for the track "Demorô" from the album "Ainda Há Tempo" (2006). *"Sweet Thang" sampled by BigXthaPlug for the 2022 track "Texas" for his 2023 album ''Amar.'' *"Oxford Gray" sampled by The Alchemist for the track "B.I.G T.W.I.N.S" from the album ''The Grimey Collection'' (2008). *"Aht Uh mi Hed" sampled by Kapu (Venezuelan producer) for the track
Uno por ellas
from the album
Apa y Can
(2013).

References

External links

Shuggie Otis' official Sony Records website

Shuggie Otis Biography
on the

website *
Shuggie Otis Interview for Echoes Magazine 2012
- requires Google login
The Mystery of Shuggie Otis
by ''

The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture publication based in Greenwich Village, New York City, known for being the country's first Alternative newspaper, alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf (publisher), Dan Wolf, ...

''
A concert review on Quooklynite
{{DEFAULTSORT:Otis, Shuggie 1953 births Living people African-American guitarists 20th-century African-American male singers 20th-century American male singers 20th-century American singers American male pianists African-American drummers American multi-instrumentalists Psychedelic soul musicians Progressive soul musicians Record producers from California American soul guitarists American male bass guitarists American soul singers People from Sonoma County, California Psychedelic rock musicians Soul drummers Singer-songwriters from California American people of Greek descent American musicians of Filipino descent Guitarists from Los Angeles 20th-century American drummers American male drummers 20th-century American bass guitarists 20th-century American pianists 21st-century American pianists 20th-century American male musicians 21st-century American male musicians African-American songwriters African-American pianists 21st-century African-American musicians American male singer-songwriters Drummers from Los Angeles