Biography
Formed solely for a single role in the John Belushi vehicle Animal House, Otis Day & the Knights sustained their self-declared identity as "the number one party band in America" across the decades that followed. Fronted by the irrepressible vocalist and actor DeWayne Jessie, the ensemble kept audiences moving through its distinctive interpretations of late-'50s and early-'60s R&B and rock. Born in Madison, Wisconsin, Jessie launched his performing career while still a teenager by donning a mouse costume to amuse patrons at a local Chuck E. Cheese. His screen debut came in Jeff Bridges' 1970 picture Halls of Anger, after which he accumulated credits in Car Wash, Thank God It's Friday, and Where the Buffalo Roam. For his supporting turn in The Bingo Long Traveling All Stars and Motor Kings he earned an Image Award.
Jessie modeled his transformative characterization of the fictional Otis Day on his brother, Obie "Young" Jessie, a member of the Flairs. Once Animal House achieved major box-office success and ranked among the fifty highest-grossing films ever made, producers Ron Kurtz and Don Polodor urged the band to hit the road. Otis Day & the Knights became an instant draw, completing more than 260 sold-out engagements in their first year on tour. Although essentially a live act, the group issued only one studio album, the 1989 release Shout, produced by George Clinton. A concert video titled Otis!, My Man! had already appeared in 1986. Marking the twenty-fifth anniversary of Animal House, Otis Day & the Knights launched a seventy-city tour in August 2002.
Jessie modeled his transformative characterization of the fictional Otis Day on his brother, Obie "Young" Jessie, a member of the Flairs. Once Animal House achieved major box-office success and ranked among the fifty highest-grossing films ever made, producers Ron Kurtz and Don Polodor urged the band to hit the road. Otis Day & the Knights became an instant draw, completing more than 260 sold-out engagements in their first year on tour. Although essentially a live act, the group issued only one studio album, the 1989 release Shout, produced by George Clinton. A concert video titled Otis!, My Man! had already appeared in 1986. Marking the twenty-fifth anniversary of Animal House, Otis Day & the Knights launched a seventy-city tour in August 2002.
Albums