Otis Rush Jr. (April 29, 1935 – September 29, 2018) was an American blues 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 and Buddy Guy, his sound became known as West Side Chicago blues and was an influence on many musicians, including Michael Bloomfield, Peter Green and Eric Clapton.
Rush was left-handed and played left handed, 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.
Otis C. Rush, he was born near Philadelphia, Mississippi, in 1934.
He moved to Chicago, Illinois, in 1949 and after being inspired by Muddy Waters made a name for himself playing in blues clubs on the South and West Side of the city. From 1956 to 1958, he recorded for independent label Cobra Records and released eight singles, some featuring Ike Turner or Jody Williams on guitar.
His first single, “I Can’t Quit You Baby”, in 1956 reached number 6 on the Billboard R&B chart, and it was during his time with Cobra that he recorded some of his best-known songs, such as “Double Trouble” and “All Your Love (I Miss Loving).”
Cobra Records went bankrupt in 1959, and Rush signed a recording contract with Chess Records in 1960. He recorded eight tracks for them, four of which were released on two singles that same year. Six tracks, including the two singles, were later included on the compilation album Door to Door, in 1969, which also featured Chess recordings by Albert King.
Otis Rush went into the studio for Duke Records 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 as Vocalion VP9260 in 1963.
In 1965, he recorded for Vanguard, and 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. In 1969, his album Mourning in the Morning was released by Cotillion Records. Recorded at the FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, the album was produced by Michael Bloomfield and Nick Gravenites. The sound also incorporated soul music and rock, which was a new direction for Rush.
In 1971, Otis Rush recorded the album Right Place, Wrong Time in San Francisco for Capitol Records, 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 then 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 and for Sonet Records in Europe during the 1970s, but by the end of the decade he had stopped performing and recording.
Otis Rush was elected to the Blues Hall of Fame in 1984.
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.
He released Ain’t Enough Comin’ In, his first studio album in 16 years in 1994. Any Place I’m Goin’ followed in 1998, and he earned his first Grammy Award for Best Traditional Blues Album in 1999.
Otis 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 2015, Rolling Stone ranked Otis Rush at number 53 on its 100 Greatest Guitarists list.
On April 20, 2018, The Jazz Foundation of America honored Rush with a Lifetime Achievement Award “for a lifetime of genius and leaving an indelible mark in the world of blues and the universal language of music.”
Otis Rush died on September 29, 2018, from complications related to a stroke he had in 2003.
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”.
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