Johnny Otis: Renowned Greek American musician

·

By Georgene Dilernia.

Johnny Otis, born Ioannis Alexandres Veliotes, was a Greek American musician known for his contribution to American R&B and rock and roll.

As well as being a musician, Otis was also a singer, songwriter, disc jockey, bandleader, record producer and talent scout. Otis had been nicknamed the “Godfather of Rhythm and Blues,” illustrating his influence on the genre.

Let’s take a look into the music legend’s life and the accomplishments he made.

Johnny Otis was a Greek American musician known for his contribution to American R&B and rock and roll. Source: Ekathimerini.

Early Life:

Otis was born in Vallejo, California to Greek immigrant parents. His father, Alexander J. Veliotes, was a Mare Island longshoreman and grocery store owner, and his mother, Irene Kiskakes, was a painter.

Otis was the eldest of three children. He had a younger sister, Dorothy, and a younger brother, Nicholas, who grew up to be the US ambassador to Jordan and Egypt.

Otis grew up in a predominantly black neighbourhood in Berkeley, California, where his father’s grocery store was located. Being surrounded by this culture growing up, later influenced his involvement in the rise of R&B.

Otis grew up in a predominantly black neighbourhood in Berkeley, California. Source: SFGate

Music Career:

Otis began performing as a teenager for local functions after dropping out of high school and joined local band, the West Oakland House Rockers.

In the early 1940s, Otis played in swing orchestra, including Lloyd Hunter’s Serenaders and Harlan Leonard’s Rockets. He founded his own band in 1945 and they had one of the biggest hits of the big-band era, “Harlem Nocturne.”

During this time, Otis also became a talent scout and discovered numerous artists early in their careers who became big hits, including Little Esther, Etta James, Big Mama Thornton, Jackie Wilson, Johnny Ace and Hank Ballard.

In the early 1940s, Otis played in swing orchestra. Source: NPR.

Otis had seminal influence on R&B and rock and roll, establishing much of the foundation work for both genres.

Personal Life and Death:

On May 2, 1941, Otis married Phyllis Walker at the age of 19, whom he had known since childhood. They had four children together, two sons who later became musicians, Shuggie and Nicholas, and two daughters, Janice and Laura.

Otis died of natural causes on January 2012 in the Altadena area of Los Angeles.

Advertisement

Share:

KEEP UP TO DATE WITH TGH

By subscribing you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

Advertisement

Latest News

How Maih Porfyri’s career pivot took her from fashion to the Paralympics

Maih Porfyri had only been in her job for a few months before she was whisked away on a trip to Paris to cover the Paralympic Games.

My partner doesn’t speak Greek – Can we still raise bilingual kids?

You can absolutely raise bilingual children, even if only one parent speaks Greek. Across the world, countless families do so successfully.

Joint bank accounts: Who gets the money?

All people named in a joint account are privy to the money by Law. Most of us have opened accounts at various bank branches.

Vergina considered among the world’s most mysterious destinations

Featured alongside global wonders, Vergina earns its place through a mystery that has eluded scholars for centuries.

Gender in Modern Greek: Dr Angeliki Alvanoudi to give online seminar

The aim of the seminar is to examine the role of Greek gendered terms in sustaining social gender ideologies that reinforce sexism.

You May Also Like

Murder investigation for Cypriot Australian Thanasis Nicolaou to proceed

A murder investigation into the death of Thanasis Nicolaou will proceed despite a cretiorari filed by pathologist Panicos Stavrianos.

North Macedonia’s Foreign Ministry affirms commitment to Prespa Agreement

North Macedonia's Foreign Ministry on Monday issued a statement affirming the country’s “unwavering commitment" to the Prespa Agreement.

Greeks in Australia celebrate New Year’s Day with vasilopita and family gatherings

On New Year's Day, His Eminence Archbishop Makarios of Australia visited the Greek Orthodox community of Marrickville in Sydney.