Otis Day and the Knights was created as a fictional
R&B band to perform in the 1978 movie ''
National Lampoon's Animal House''.
Career
They are best known for their R&B/ black rock version of "
Shout" and "
Shama Lama Ding Dong". Both songs were sung by Lloyd G. Williams, and lip synched by
DeWayne Jessie
DeWayne Jessie (a.k.a. "Otis Day"; born September 21, 1951) is an American character actor best known for his portrayal of Otis Day in ''National Lampoon's Animal House''. In the movie, the songs "Shama Lama Ding Dong" and " Shout" were sung by ...
in the film. Backing vocals were provided by Melvin Britt and Sidney Justin. Gospel style "Shout" was written by
the Isley Brothers. Otis Day was played by Jessie, brother of
Young Jessie of
The Coasters.
Robert Cray was one of the members of the band, seen playing bass in the movie.
In the 1980s, DeWayne Jessie purchased the rights to the band's name from Universal Studios and formed a real-life version of the band with some of his family members and toured the country for years afterward, with Jessie essentially assuming the identity of Otis Day. They recorded an album, produced by
George Clinton,
[Leader of P funk, Parliament, and Funkadelic] that came out in 1989 titled ''Shout'' which flopped, but included updated versions of "Shout" and "Shama Lama Ding Dong".
Discography
*Shout (1989)
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
Fictional musical groups