Otis Rush Jr. (April 29, 1934 – September 29, 2018) was an American

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...

guitarist and singer-songwriter. His distinctive guitar style featured a slow-burning sound and long bent notes. With qualities similar to the styles of other 1950s artists

Magic Sam Magic or Magick most commonly refers to: * Magic (supernatural), beliefs and actions employed to influence supernatural beings and forces * Ceremonial magic, encompasses a wide variety of rituals of magic * Magical thinking, the belief that unrela ...

and

Buddy Guy George "Buddy" Guy (born July 30, 1936) is an American blues guitarist and singer. He is an exponent of Chicago blues who has influenced generations of guitarists including Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, Keith Richards, Stevie Ray Vaugh ...

, his sound became known as West Side Chicago blues and was an influence on many musicians, including Michael Bloomfield, Peter Green and

Eric Clapton Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is often regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s list of ...

. Rush was left-handed and played as such; however, his guitars were strung with the low E string at the bottom, upside-down from typical guitarists. He often played with the little finger of his pick hand curled under the low E for positioning. It is widely believed that this contributed to his distinctive sound. He had a wide-ranging, powerful

tenor voice A tenor is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The low extreme for tenors is wi ...

Early life

The son of farmers Julia Campbell Boyd and Otis C. Rush, Rush was born near

Philadelphia, Mississippi Philadelphia is a city in and the county seat of Neshoba County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 7,118 at the 2020 census. History Philadelphia is incorporated as a municipality; it was given its current name in 1903, two years ...

in 1934. Rush was one of seven children and worked on a farm throughout his childhood. At the age of eight, Rush taught himself how to play guitar; he also sang in local church choirs.

Career

Rush moved to

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, in 1948/49Joel Whitburn's Top R&B Singles 1942–1988 (Record Research) and, after being inspired by

Muddy Waters McKinley Morganfield (April 4, 1913 April 30, 1983), known professionally as Muddy Waters, was an American blues singer and musician who was an important figure in the post-war blues scene, and is often cited as the "father of modern Chicago b ...

, made a name for himself playing in blues clubs on the

South South is one of the cardinal directions or Points of the compass, compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Pro ...

and

West Side West Side or Westside may refer to: Places Canada * West Side, a neighbourhood of Windsor, Ontario * West Side, a neighbourhood of Vancouver, British Columbia United Kingdom * West Side, Lewis, Outer Hebrides, Scotland * Westside, Birmingham E ...

of the city. During this period he formed his own group, initially under the name Little Otis. From 1956 to 1958, he recorded for the independent label

Cobra Records Cobra Records (together with its Artistic subsidiary) was an independent record label that operated from 1956–1959. The label launched the careers of Chicago blues artists Otis Rush, Magic Sam, and Buddy Guy and "signaled the arrival of a new ...

and released eight singles, some featuring

Ike Turner Izear Luster "Ike" Turner Jr. (November 5, 1931 – December 12, 2007) was an American musician, bandleader, songwriter, record producer, and talent scout. An early pioneer of 1950s rock and roll, he is best known for his work in the 1960s and ...

Jody Williams Jody Williams (born October 9, 1950) is an American political activist known for her work in banning anti-personnel landmines, her defense of human rights (especially those of women), and her efforts to promote new understandings of security i ...

on guitar. His first single, " I Can't Quit You Baby", in 1956 reached number 6 on the '' Billboard'' R&B chart. During his tenure with Cobra, he recorded some of his best-known songs, such as " Double Trouble" and "

All Your Love (I Miss Loving) "All Your Love (I Miss Loving)" or "All Your Love" is a blues standard written and recorded by Chicago blues guitarist Otis Rush in 1958. Of all of his compositions, it is the best-known with versions by several blues and other artists. "All ...

." Cobra Records went bankrupt in 1959, and Rush signed a recording contract with Chess Records in 1960. He recorded eight tracks for the label, four of which were released on two singles that year. Six tracks, including the two singles, were later included on the album ''Door to Door'' in 1969, a compilation also featuring Chess recordings by

Albert King Albert Nelson (April 25, 1923 – December 21, 1992), known by his stage name Albert King, was an American guitarist and singer who is often regarded as one of the greatest and most influential blues guitarists of all time. He is perhaps b ...

. Rush went into the studio for

Duke Records Duke Records was an American record label, started in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1952 by David James Mattis (WDIA program director and DJ) and Bill Fitzgerald, owners of Tri-State Recording Company. Their first release was Roscoe Gordon singing "Hey ...

in 1962, but only one single, "Homework" backed with "I Have to Laugh", was issued by the label. It was also released in

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...

as Vocalion VP9260 in 1963. In 1965, he recorded for

Vanguard The vanguard (also called the advance guard) is the leading part of an advancing military formation. It has a number of functions, including seeking out the enemy and securing ground in advance of the main force. History The vanguard derives fr ...

; these recordings are included on the label's compilation album '' Chicago/The Blues/Today! Vol. 2''. Rush began playing in other cities in the United States and in Europe during the 1960s, notably with the

American Folk Blues Festival The American Folk Blues Festival was a music festival that toured Europe as an annual event for several years beginning in 1962. It introduced audiences in Europe, including the UK, to leading blues performers of the day such as Muddy Waters, Howl ...

. Unoficial recordings at this festival in 1967 and at the University of Chicago Folkfest in 1966 were later released together with recordings of

Little Walter Marion Walter Jacobs (May 1, 1930 – February 15, 1968), known as Little Walter, was an American blues musician, singer, and songwriter, whose revolutionary approach to the harmonica had a strong impact on succeeding generations, earning hi ...

. In 1969, his album '' Mourning in the Morning'' was released by

Cotillion Records Cotillion Records was a subsidiary of Atlantic Records (from 1971 part of WEA) and was active from 1968 through 1985. The label was formed as an outlet for pop, R&B, and jazz. Its first single, Otis Clay's version of "She's About a Mover", re ...

. Recorded at the FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, the album was produced by Michael Bloomfield and

Nick Gravenites Nicholas George Gravenites (; born October 2, 1938) is an American blues, rock and folk singer, songwriter, and guitarist, best known for his work with Electric Flag (as their lead singer), Janis Joplin, Mike Bloomfield and several influentia ...

(then of the band

Electric Flag The Electric Flag was an American soul rock band, led by guitarist Mike Bloomfield, keyboardist Barry Goldberg and drummer Buddy Miles, and featuring other musicians such as vocalist Nick Gravenites and bassist Harvey Brooks. Bloomfield f ...

). The sound incorporated

soul music Soul music is a popular music genre that originated in the African American community throughout the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It has its roots in African-American gospel music and rhythm and blues. Soul music became po ...

and rock, a new direction for Rush. In 1971, Rush recorded the album '' Right Place, Wrong Time'' in San Francisco for

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of note ...

, but Capitol did not release it. The album was finally issued in 1976, when Rush purchased the master from Capitol and had it released by P-Vine Records in Japan. Bullfrog Records released it in the United States soon after. The album has since gained a reputation as one of his best works. He also released some albums for

Delmark Records Delmark Records is an American jazz and blues independent record label. It was founded in 1958 and is based in Chicago, Illinois. The label originated in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1953 when then owner, and founder, Bob Koester released a record ...

and for

Sonet Records Sonet Records was a jazz, pop and rock record label operating as an imprint of Universal Music Sweden. It was founded in Sweden in 1956. Sonet Records was established by Sven Lindholm and Gunnar Bergström, who managed the label into the 1980s ...

in Europe during the 1970s, but by the end of the decade he had stopped performing and recording. Rush made a comeback in 1985 with a U.S. tour and the release of a live album, ''Tops'', recorded at the

San Francisco Blues Festival The San Francisco Blues Festival was active from 1973 until 2008, and was located in San Francisco, California. It was the one of the longest running blues festival in the United States. History Tom Mazzolini, the event's producer, founded the ...

Rush released '' Ain't Enough Comin' In'' in 1994, his first studio album in 16 years. ''Any Place I'm Goin followed in 1998, and he earned his first

Grammy Award for Best Traditional Blues Album The Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by ...

in 1999. Rush did not record a new studio album after 1998 but he continued to tour and perform until 2003, when he suffered a stroke. In 2002, he was featured on the

Bo Diddley Ellas McDaniel (born Ellas Otha Bates; December 30, 1928 – June 2, 2008), known professionally as Bo Diddley, was an American guitarist who played a key role in the transition from the blues to rock and roll. He influenced many artists, inc ...

tribute album ''Hey Bo Diddley – A Tribute!'', performing the song " I'm a Man", produced by Carla Olson. Rush's 2006 album ''Live...and in Concert from San Francisco'', a live recording from 1999, was released by Blues Express Records. Video footage of the same show was released on the DVD ''Live Part 1'' in 2003. In June 2016, Rush made a rare appearance at the Chicago Blues Festival in Grant Park. Chicago Mayor

Rahm Emanuel Rahm Israel Emanuel (; born November 29, 1959) is an American politician and diplomat who is the current United States Ambassador to Japan. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served two terms as the 55th Mayor of Chicago from 2011 ...

honored Rush's appearance by declaring June 12 to be Otis Rush Day in Chicago. Due to his ongoing health problems Rush was unable to play, but was present with his family.

Awards

Rush was elected to the

Blues Hall of Fame The Blues Hall of Fame is a music museum located at 421 S. Main Street in Memphis, Tennessee. Initially, the "Blues Hall of Fame" was not a physical building, but a listing of people who have significantly contributed to blues music. Started in 1 ...

in 1984. In 2015, ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'' ranked Rush number 53 on its 100 Greatest Guitarists list. The

Jazz Foundation of America The Jazz Foundation of America (JFA) is a non-profit organization based in Manhattan, New York that was founded in 1989. Its programs seek to help jazz and blues musicians in need of emergency funds and connect them with performance opportunitie ...

honored Rush with a Lifetime Achievement Award on April 20, 2018 "for a lifetime of genius and leaving an indelible mark in the world of blues and the universal language of music."

Death

Rush died on September 29, 2018, from complications of a stroke. His death was announced on his website by his wife Masaki. ''OtisRush.net''
Retrieved September 29, 2018 Gregg Parker, CEO and a founder of the Chicago Blues Museum said of Rush: "He was one of the last great blues guitar heroes. He was an electric god". Writing in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', Bill Friskics-Warren said, "A richly emotive singer and a guitarist of great skill and imagination, Mr. Rush was in the vanguard of a small circle of late-1950s innovators, including

and

, whose music, steeped in R&B, heralded a new era for Chicago blues."

Selected discography

Original albums

*1968 ''This One's a Good One'' ( Blue Horizon) *1969 '' Mourning in the Morning'' (

Cotillion The cotillion (also cotillon or French country dance) is a social dance, popular in 18th-century Europe and North America. Originally for four couples in square formation, it was a courtly version of an English country dance, the forerunner ...

) *1972 ''Blues Masters, Vol. 2'' *1974 ''Screamin' and Cryin ( Black & Blue) *1975 ''Cold Day in Hell'' ( Delmark) *1976 ''So Many Roads'' (Delmark) *1976 '' Right Place, Wrong Time'' (Bullfrog) *1978 ''Troubles Troubles'' (

Sonet Synchronous optical networking (SONET) and synchronous digital hierarchy (SDH) are standardized protocols that transfer multiple digital bit streams synchronously over optical fiber using lasers or highly coherent light from light-emitting diode ...

) *1988 ''Tops'' (

Blind Pig A speakeasy, also called a blind pig or blind tiger, is an illicit establishment that sells alcoholic beverages, or a retro style bar that replicates aspects of historical speakeasies. Speakeasy bars came into prominence in the United States d ...

) *1989 '' Blues Interaction – Live in Japan 1986'' (

P-Vine P-Vine Records is an independent record label based in Tokyo, Japan. History It was started in 1976 by Blues Interactions, a firm founded in 1975 by Yasufumi Higurashi and Akira Kochi, as a record label focused on black music. The label name c ...

) *1991 ''Lost in the Blues'' (

Alligator An alligator is a large reptile in the Crocodilia order in the genus ''Alligator'' of the family Alligatoridae. The two extant species are the American alligator (''A. mississippiensis'') and the Chinese alligator (''A. sinensis''). Additiona ...

ALCD4797) *1993 ''Live in Europe'' (

Evidence Music Evidence Music is an American jazz and blues record label founded in 1992 by Howard Rosen and Jerry Gordon. The label's name comes from the song "Evidence" by Thelonious Monk. The label's first releases were reissues of Sun Ra albums from the ca ...

ECD 26034-2) *1994 '' Ain't Enough Comin' In'' (This Way Up/ Mercury) *1998 ''Any Place I'm Going'' (House of Blues) *2006 ''Live...and in Concert from San Francisco'' (Blues Express) *2009 ''Chicago Blues Festival 2001'' (P-Vine) *2015 ''Double Trouble LIVE Cambridge 1973'' (RockBeat Records)

Compilation albums

*1969 ''Door to Door'', with

(

Chess Chess is a board game for two players, called White and Black, each controlling an army of chess pieces in their color, with the objective to checkmate the opponent's king. It is sometimes called international chess or Western chess to disti ...

) *1989 ''I Can't Quit You Baby: The Cobra Sessions 1956–1958'' (

) *2000 ''Good 'Uns: The Classic Cobra Recordings 1956–1958'' ( Westside) *2000 ''The Essential Otis Rush: The Classic Cobra Recordings 1956–1958'' (

Fuel 2000 Fuel 2000 is an independent record label, formed in 1994 as part of the Fuel Label Group. One of the biggest independent record labels, it has amassed a catalog with over 20,000 master recordings. Since its inception, the company has released ove ...

) *2002 ''Blue on Blues: Buddy Guy & Otis Rush'' (Fuel 2000) *2005 ''All Your Love I Miss Loving: Live at the Wise Fools Pub, Chicago'' ( Delmark) *2006 ''Live at Montreux 1986'' (

Eagle Rock Entertainment Eagle Rock Entertainment is an international producer and distributor of music films and programming. It operates two record labels (Eagle Records and Armoury Records), a full-service production company (Eagle Rock Productions) and a music publis ...

) (joint performance with

and

Luther Allison Luther Allison (August 17, 1939 – August 12, 1997) was an American blues singer-songwriter and guitarist. He was born in Widener, Arkansas, although some accounts suggest his actual place of birth was Mayflower, Arkansas. Allison was intereste ...

) *2015 ''Double Trouble: Live Cambridge 1973'' (Rockbeat Records ROCCD 3220)

Singles

* 1956 " I Can't Quit You Baby" / "Sit Down Baby" ( Cobra 5000) * 1956 "My Love Will Never Die" / "Violent Love" (Cobra 5005) * 1957 "Groaning the Blues" / "If You Were Mine" (Cobra 5010) * 1957 "Jump Sister Bessie" / "Love That Woman" (Cobra 5015) * 1957 "She's a Good 'Un" / "Three Times a Fool" (Cobra 5023) * 1958 "Checking on My Baby" / "It Takes Time" (Cobra 5027) * 1958 " Double Trouble" / "Keep On Loving Me Baby" (Cobra 5030) * 1958 "

" / "My Baby's a Good 'Un" (Cobra 5032) * 1960 "So Many Roads So Many Trains" / "I'm Satisfied" (

1751) * 1960 "You Know My Love" / "I Can't Stop Baby" (Chess 1775) * 1962 "Homework" / "I Have to Laugh" (

Duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ran ...

356) * 1969 "Gambler's Blues" / "You're Killing My Love" (Cotillion 44032)

DVDs

*2003 ''Live Part One'' (Blues Express) *2006 ''Live at Montreux 1986'' (Eagle Rock Entertainment)

Footnotes

External links

Official website
*

at setlist.fm
Obituary
at ''

''
Obituary
at ultimateclassicrock.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Rush, Otis 1934 births 2018 deaths Chicago blues musicians Electric blues musicians Singers from Mississippi African-American guitarists American blues singers American blues guitarists American male guitarists Singers from Chicago People from Philadelphia, Mississippi Grammy Award winners Alligator Records artists Chess Records artists Delmark Records artists Duke Records artists Vanguard Records artists P-Vine Records artists Cobra Records artists Blues musicians from Mississippi Male guitarists Guitarists from Chicago Guitarists from Mississippi 20th-century American guitarists 20th-century American male musicians Black & Blue Records artists Blind Pig Records artists 20th-century African-American musicians 21st-century African-American people