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Aside from his music work he was also chicken farming, and this enterprise resulted
in him severing two fingers with a power saw whilst building a chicken coop.
Needless to say, this restricted his drum work, but did not affect his vibes playing.

By now known as ‘The California Rhythm and
Blues Caravan’, Otis took his band on the road
throughout the 1950s, and they were

acknowledged as the hottest black music band
on the scene. Although Johnny continued to play
the drums, he now acted mainly as a band leader,
employing a full time drummer. Despite periods,
especially during the early 1960s, when it was

difficult to find regular professional work for his
style of music, he kept the band going into the
1970s.

During the 1960s he was involved in community
work around South Central Los Angeles, and
although he tried and failed to get elected to the California State Assembly, he served

for 10 years as deputy chief of staff to Mervyn Dymally, the first black State Senator
in the west, who eventually became a Congressman.

Adding even more strings to his bow, he also became the pastor of a non-
denominational church, based in his own house, as well as an author, painter,
sculptor, chef, political activist and organic farmer - and all this alongside his band,
and 50 year career as a dj - was there anything this man couldn’t do?!

In spite of his music being rather in the doldrums in the 1960s, rehabilitation came
from a most unlikely source. Frank Zappa was a keen fan of the earlier work of Johnny
Otis, and recommended to Kent Records that they should sign and record him. This

intervention resulted in the highly acclaimed ‘Cold Shot’ album, in 1968, which
produced the R&B hit ‘Country Girl’. The album also included the debut on guitar of
his prodigiously talented 14 year old son Johnny Jr. ‘Shuggie’ Otis (he wasn’t the only
child of Johnny Otis who played in the band, as Shuggie’s brother Nicky played the

drums for a while).

I first heard Shuggie Otis a year or so later, courtesy of a friend of mine, who knew

I liked blues guitarists, and invited me to listen to an album and try to guess who it
was.

I had no idea, but was mightily impressed by the tasteful playing and guitar sound.

The album was “Here Comes Shuggie Otis” (1970), but this was not even his first
album, which was “Al Kooper Introduces Shuggie Otis” (1969) - the latter was the
second in Kooper’s ‘Super Session’ albums, the first having featured Mike Bloomfield
and Steve Stills.