Clyde Otis

Music producer and songwriter Clyde Otis was born in 1924 in the small rural town of Prentice, Mississippi. Clyde's early exposure to music was very limited (his family didn't even own a radio), although he did begin playing drums in his teenage years. Otis first became involved with music during his stint in the Marines, where he met "Route 66" songwriter Bobby Troup. After being discharged from the Marines, Clyde moved to New York City and worked a series of day jobs for eight years while writing songs at night. He broke into the music business in the mid 50's with the song "That's All There Is to Know," which was a Top 20 pop hit for Nat "King" Cole in 1956. In 1958 Otis got a job as an A&R executive for the Mercury Records in Chicago (he holds the distinction of being the first black A&R executive to work for a major record label). It was during his years at Mercury that Clyde collaborated with singer Brook Benton on a steady succession of hit songs that include "It's Just A Matter of Time," "Endlessly," "So Many Ways," and the novelty tune "The Boll Weevil Song." Other artists Otis either wrote and/or produced songs for are the Diamonds ("The Stroll"), Dinah Washington ("This Bitter Earth," "What A Difference A Day Makes," "September in the Rain"), Sarah Vaughan ("Broken-Hearted Melody"), Timi Yuro ("Hurt"), Bobby Bland ("I'll Take Care of You"), and Nat "King" Cole ("Looking Back"). In addition, Clyde produced the delightful Brook Benton and Dinah Washington duets "Baby (You've Got What It Takes)" and "A Rockin' Good Way (To Mess Around and Fall in Love)." In 1962 Clyde produced 33 out of 51 chart hits for Mercury. After leaving Mercury, he briefly worked for Liberty Records and eventually founded his own publishing firm called the Clyde Otis Music Group. Relocating to Nashville, Tennessee, Otis produced sessions for country singers Charlie Rich and Sonny James. Among the artists he wrote songs for are Elvis Presley, Aretha Franklin, Patti Page, and Johnny Mathis. In fact, Clyde wrote almost 800 songs throughout his long and distinguished career. In 2000 Otis was the recipient of a Pioneer Award from the Rhythm and Blues Foundation. Clyde Otis died at age 83 in Englewood, New Jersey on January 8, 2008.