Johnny Otis
- MatchJohnny Otis
- 100%Ivory Joe Hunter
- 96%LaVern Baker
- 92%Richard Berry
- 88%Little Willie John
- 78%Jimmy Witherspoon
- 71%Bo Diddley
- 70%Lowell Fulson
- 68%Louis Prima
- 65%Amos Milburn
- 65%Big Joe Turner
Biography
Ioannis Veliotes, 28 December 1921, Vallejo, California, USA. Born into a family of Greek immigrants, Otis was raised in a largely black neighbourhood where he thoroughly absorbed the prevailing culture and lifestyle. He began playing drums in his mid-teens and worked for a time with some of the locally based jazz bands, including, in 1941, Lloyd Hunters orchestra. In 1943, he gained his first name-band experience when he joined Harlan Leonard for a short spell. Some sources suggest that,... Read more