Otis Joseph René Jr. was an American songwriter and record label owner. As a songwriter, he is notable as the co-author of "

When It's Sleepy Time Down South "When It's Sleepy Time Down South", also known as "Sleepy Time Down South", is a 1931 jazz song written by Clarence Muse, Leon René and Otis René. It was sung in the 1931 movie ''Safe in Hell'' by Nina Mae McKinney, and became the signature song o ...

", which became a

signature song A signature (; from la, signare, "to sign") is a Handwriting, handwritten (and often Stylization, stylized) depiction of someone's name, nickname, or even a simple "X" or other mark that a person writes on documents as a proof of identity and ...

for

Louis Armstrong Louis Daniel Armstrong (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971), nicknamed "Satchmo", "Satch", and "Pops", was an American trumpeter and vocalist. He was among the most influential figures in jazz. His career spanned five decades and several era ...

Biography

Otis René was born in

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

. Prior to devoting his full-time efforts to music, Otis René was a

pharmacist A pharmacist, also known as a chemist (Commonwealth English) or a druggist (North American and, archaically, Commonwealth English), is a healthcare professional who prepares, controls and distributes medicines and provides advice and instructi ...

in New Orleans.Uncredited,

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

, September 1, 1945
Buck-Five Disk of Indies Seen Different Ways
Retrieved 2012-02-23. He moved to Los Angeles and married in 1930. He is best known as the co-author of the 1931 song "

", co-written with his brother

Leon René Leon René (February 6, 1902 – May 30, 1982) was an American music composer of pop, R&B and rock and roll songs and a record producer in the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s. He sometimes used the songwriting pseudonym Jimmy Thomas or Jimmie Thom ...

, and

Clarence Muse Clarence Muse (October 14, 1889 – October 13, 1979) was an American actor, screenwriter, director, singer, and composer. He was the first African American to appear in a starring role in a film, 1929's ''Hearts in Dixie''. He acted for ...

. Other songs co-written by Otis René include "

Someone's Rocking My Dreamboat "Someone's Rocking My Dreamboat" is a song written by Leon René, Otis René and Emerson Scott in 1941. It was recorded in 1941 by The Ink Spots (Decca 4045), Erskine Hawkins (Bluebird B-11277), "Hutch" Leslie Hutchinson with Orchestra (HMV B.D. ...

", included by

Murray Head Murray Seafield St George Head (born 5 March 1946) is an English actor and singer. Head has appeared in a number of films, including a starring role as the character Bob Elkin in the Oscar-nominated 1971 film ''Sunday Bloody Sunday''. As a mus ...

on his 1975 album ''

Say It Ain't So "Say It Ain't So" is a song by the American rock band Weezer. It was released as the third and final single from the band's self-titled 1994 debut album. Written by frontman Rivers Cuomo, the song came to be after he had all the music finishe ...

'' and "

That's My Home That's may refer to: * ''"That's"'', a brand name used on recordable media by Taiyo Yuden and its subsidiary ''That's Fukushima Co., Ltd.'' * Several English-language listings magazines in the People's Republic of China **''That's Beijing'' **''Tha ...

", included by

Tony Bennett Anthony Dominick Benedetto (born August 3, 1926), known professionally as Tony Bennett, is an American retired singer of traditional pop standards, big band, show tunes, and jazz. Bennett is also a painter, having created works under his birth ...

on his 2002 album, '' A Wonderful World''. During the 1940s, with his brother,

, Otis René established and ran the independent

rhythm and blues Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated in African-American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly ...

labels

Exclusive Records Exclusive Records was a record label established by Leon René, which existed from 1944 to 1950. History Exclusive Records was established by Leon René in Los Angeles in 1944 and ceased operations in January 1950. Buddy Baker was the music dire ...

and

Excelsior Records Excelsior Records was an American record label established by Otis René, which existed from 1944 to 1971. It is particularly notable as having released some of the earliest recordings of Nat King Cole. It is not to be confused with former MCA and ...

. Otis was responsible for and publicly identified with Excelsior Records, while his brother Leon was identified with Exclusive Records. Otis René was noted to have earned $25,000 on one song in 1945, "

I'm Lost "I'm Lost" is a song written by Otis René and recorded in 1944 by Benny Carter and His Orchestra. The single, with vocals by Dick Gray, went to number one on the Harlem Hit Parade and was his most successful of three entries on the Harlem Hit Para ...

", recorded by the

King Cole Trio Nathaniel Adams Coles (March 17, 1919 – February 15, 1965), known professionally as Nat King Cole, was an American singer, jazz pianist, and actor. Cole's music career began after he dropped out of school at the age of 15, and continued f ...

. René had written and produced the song, as well distributed the record. In 1945, René was elected president of the newly established Pacific Coast Record Manufacturers' Association. In support of their record labels, Otis René and Leon René purchased their own record plant, but when the format changed from 78 rpm to 45rpm, they could not press the new speed. Otis René's Excelsior label existed from 1944 to 1951. His brother Leon's Exclusive Records existed from 1944 to 1950. Artists on Otis René's label included

Herb Jeffries Herb Jeffries (born Umberto Alexander Valentino; September 24, 1913 – May 25, 2014) was an American actor of film and television and popular music and jazz singer-songwriter, known for his baritone voice. He starred in several low-budget "ra ...

Timmie Rogers Timmie Rogers (born Timothy Louis Ancrum July 4, 1915 – December 17, 2006) was an American comedian, singer-songwriter, bandleader and actor who appeared on many national TV shows in the 1960s and 1970s. Rogers was one of the first Black comed ...

and the

Al Russell Trio AL, Al, Ål or al may stand for: Arts and entertainment Fictional characters * Al (''Aladdin'') or Aladdin, the main character in Disney's ''Aladdin'' media * Al (''EastEnders''), a minor character in the British soap opera * Al (''Fullmetal ...

. In 1952, with saxophonist

Preston Love Preston Haynes Love (April 26, 1921 – February 12, 2004) was an American saxophonist, bandleader, and songwriter from Omaha, Nebraska, United States, best known as a sideman for jazz and rhythm and blues artists like Count Basie and Ray Char ...

, René launched the short-lived Spin Records. The label released material by the Preston Love Orchestra, among others.

J.C. Marion JC may refer to: Airlines *JC International Airlines, Cambodia *Japan Air Commuter (IATA code: JC) * JAL Express (1998–2014; IATA: JC), Japan *Rocky Mountain Airways (1965–1991; IATA: JC), United States Arts and media * "JC" (song), a 1996 s ...

,
"Forgotten Sessions"
, 1999. Retrieved 2012-02-20. He died in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, in 1970, aged 71.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rene, Otis Songwriters from Louisiana Record producers from Louisiana Musicians from New Orleans Year of birth missing 1970 deaths 20th-century American musicians