Otha Young (a.k.a. Robert Otha Young) (May 10, 1943 – August 6, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, producer and the longtime musical partner of country-pop artist

Juice Newton Judith Kay "Juice" Newton (born February 18, 1952) is an American pop and country singer, songwriter, and musician. Newton has received five Grammy Award nominations in the Pop and Country Best Female Vocalist categorieswinning once in 1983as well ...

. Otha was born on May 10, 1943 in Tulare, Tulare County, California. In the early 1970s, Young and Newton began performing together and formed the band Juice Newton and Silver Spur in

Los Gatos, California Los Gatos (, ; ) is an incorporated town in Santa Clara County, California, United States. The population is 33,529 according to the 2020 census. It is located in the San Francisco Bay Area just southwest of San Jose in the foothills of the ...

. They headlined at Mountain Charlie's in Los Gatos and other steak & lobster joints around the

San Francisco Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, often referred to as simply the Bay Area, is a populous region surrounding the San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun Bay estuaries in Northern California. The Bay Area is defined by the Association of Bay Area Go ...

, including the Rusty Pelican in

Oakland Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third largest city overall in the Bay A ...

. Later they decided to make a career move by playing the Rusty Pelican in

Newport Beach Newport Beach is a coastal city in South Orange County, California. Newport Beach is known for swimming and sandy beaches. Newport Harbor once supported maritime industries however today, it is used mostly for recreation. Balboa Island, Newport ...

. By 1978, the band evolved into Newton's solo act, with Young writing, playing and producing for Newton regularly until his death, although other artists recorded Young's songs as well. As a songwriter, Young was best known for Juice Newton's #1 hit from 1982, "

The Sweetest Thing (I've Ever Known) "The Sweetest Thing (I've Ever Known)" is a country- pop song written by Otha Young for Juice Newton in the mid-1970s. Newton was known for charting hits on the Hot 100, Adult Contemporary, and Hot Country charts - and this song has the distincti ...

", which reached the top spot on both Billboard's "Adult Contemporary" and "Hot Country" charts, as well as reaching #7 on the Hot 100, remaining in the Top 40 for 18 weeks. According to Billboard, the song was #21 of 1982's Hot 100 biggest hits. Other Otha Young-penned Top-10 hits include "Sweet, Sweet Smile" (

The Carpenters The Carpenters (officially known as Carpenters) were an American vocal and instrumental duo consisting of siblings Karen Carpenter, Karen (1950–1983) and Richard Carpenter (musician), Richard Carpenter (born 1946). They produced a distinct ...

, 1978), "Don't You" (Forester Sisters, 1987) and "What Can I Do With My Heart?" (Juice Newton, 1987).

Death

Otha Young died on August 6, 2009 at

Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center (also commonly referred to as ''UCLA Medical Center'', "RRMC" or "Ronald Reagan") is a hospital located on the campus of the University of California, Los Angeles, in Westwood, Los Angeles, California, United ...

from lung

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

. He was 66 years old. Otha is survived by his wife, Brenda, and their daughter, Makena.

External links

Obituary
{{DEFAULTSORT:Young, Otha American male singer-songwriters 1943 births 2009 deaths Singer-songwriters from California Deaths from lung cancer in California Musicians from Orange County, California 20th-century American singers 20th-century American male singers