Shuggie Otis

Shuggie Otis has built a reputation across decades as a guitarist, vocalist, composer, arranger, and multi-instrumentalist whose name seldom registers with mainstream audiences, yet his composition “Strawberry Letter 23” occupies space in countless home record collections. The Brothers Johnson’s version of the tune surpassed one million copies sold, climbing to number one on Billboard’s R&B chart and number five on the pop chart during summer 1977. That performance anchored their platinum album Right on Time, which held the top R&B position for three weeks and reached number 13 on the pop listings in spring 1977. Otis penned “Strawberry Letter 23” for his girlfriend, who favored strawberry-scented stationery when writing to him. Another longstanding favorite, “Inspiration Information,” garnered notable radio rotation in Chicago and additional markets, peaking at number 56 R&B in early 1975. After decades away from the studio, Otis regained prominence and attracted a fresh audience when Luaka Bop reissued his classic album Inspiration Information in 2001.

Born Johnny Otis, Jr. on November 30, 1953, in Los Angeles, California, Otis displayed exceptional musical ability from childhood and launched his professional career around 1965. He delivered the guitar solo on his father Johnny Otis’ 1969 Kent Records release “Country Girl,” a number 29 R&B hit. His playing was so advanced that, while still a teenager, he wore dark glasses and applied black ink above his lip to appear old enough for club dates alongside his father.

Under contract with CBS Records, Otis cut a series of technically accomplished R&B and West Coast blues sides. His debut album arrived as Al Kooper Introduces Shuggie Otis on the CBS label. Johnny Otis produced the 1970 follow-up Here Comes Shuggie Otis, released on CBS’s Epic imprint. Otis issued Freedom Flight in September 1971, featuring the original “Strawberry Letter 23,” the poignant “Someone’s Always Singing,” “Ice Cold Daydream,” and the blues-inflected “Me and My Woman,” which he co-wrote with Gene Barge, the saxophonist long associated with Chess Records, Chuck Willis, and Natalie Cole.

The album Inspiration Information appeared in October 1974, with Otis performing every instrument on its jazzy, Latin-tinged R&B selections and introducing the electronic rhythm box typically found on organs. Alongside the title track, the set contained the sly “Sparkle City,” the tender ballad “Outtamihead,” and the string-laden “Island Letter,” originally issued as the B-side of “Inspiration Information.”

George Johnson of the Brothers Johnson received a copy of Freedom Flight from one of Otis’ cousins he was dating; he immediately favored both “Ice Cold Daydream” and “Strawberry Letter 23,” the latter of which accompanied his brother Louis Johnson’s wedding ceremony as the processional. Louis recommended the song to producer Quincy Jones for an album track, whose intricate guitar solo was performed by Lee Ritenour. The Brothers Johnson rendition stays remarkably faithful to Otis’ original. During the 1990s Otis performed with his own band throughout Northern California and toured widely; his son Lucky Otis played bass in Johnny Otis’ ensemble. Otis is profiled in the 1998 Hal Leonard publication Alligator Records Presents West Coast Blues, released in August by the Milwaukee, Wisconsin, firm.

Although he maintained an active live schedule, Otis did not record under his own name for nearly twenty years. His first live album, Live in Williamsburg, was captured at the Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn, New York, during his 2013 comeback tour and released the following year. Nearly five years later he returned to the studio for Cleopatra with Inter-Fusion, leading a quartet that included drummer Carmine Appice (Vanilla Fudge, Beck, Bogert & Appice), bassist Tony Franklin (the Firm, Roy Harper), and keyboardist-producer Kyle Hamood (Them Guns) on a primarily instrumental set of original material. Following an in-studio video preview, the album reached stores in April 2018.