Shuggie's Shake: A Reason to Listen to Teens

Not the SameHaving your father be a well known west coast musician won't generally hurt your musical ability or the contacts that you have in the business. But those aren't the reasons that Shuggie Otis was able to crank out a few, brief, put stunning recorded appearances during the late '60s and early '70s. He was a prodigy. That term isn't really over used when compared to the word genius. And applying that label to the younger Otis is more than appropriate considering his accomplishments prior to turning 18. By the time he was able to drive a car, the guitarist had already made an impressive guest appearance on Al Kooper's Kooper Session.

That introduction to the west coast psych and blues scene didn't necessarily inform the latter career of Otis. By that point, he'd already recorded a bit with his father Johnny and toured, playing in front of rather sizable crowds. But the brief fervor that surrounded the younger Otis yielded some of the strongest fusions of rock, blues, soul and RnB that've been put to tape. It seems as if that should be an overstatement. But over just three records under his own name, Shuggie Otis managed to cover a huge amount of territory - not just well, but convincingly.

Between 1970 and '74, Otis released three discs - Here Comes Shuggie Otis (1970), Freedom Flight (1971) and Inspiration Information (1974). And while none of them were granted a great deal of airplay, Otis' guitar acumen was prominently displayed. It incorporated as much Jimi Hendrix as anything else. But there was a boyish, genteel quality to his music that was lacking in the recordings of Hendrix's work - which makes sense. That same aspect of Otis' persona, though, makes it oddly difficult to listen to tracks like "Me and My Woman." After all, how much insight into relationships is a 17 year old guy gonna have?

On that same disc that sports the aforementioned track, though, a song entitled "Strawberry Letter 23" crops up as the second track. And if you ever owned a radio during the '70s, you know that track. But probably the version you're familiar with was recorded by the Brothers Johnson. While similar to the original, Otis' version seems more sincere - he did pen the tune after all. One would suspect, though, that after gaining such notoriety as a result of that effort, Otis would still have some sort of high profile in the music business.

Apparently, though, after that bump in notoriety, Otis acquired the tag of difficult to deal with. And while in preparation to follow up his '74 Inspiration Information, he was asked to tour with the Rolling Stones. Otis declined and that next album was never recorded. And as his contract expired, he never really returned to limelight again.

Currently, the guitarist and singer lives in Northern California - Sebastopol, to be exact. He apparently gigs sporadically, but has ceased recording and touring and is ostensibly in retirement. Of course, the kick back from "Strawberry Letter 23" probably keeps him warm at night, so not to worry.