LEGENDARY AFRICAN AMERICAN SONGWRITERS AGREEMENT SIGNED PRODUCER CLYDE OTIS for Sale

LEGENDARY AFRICAN AMERICAN SONGWRITERS AGREEMENT SIGNED PRODUCER CLYDE OTIS For Sale

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LEGENDARY AFRICAN AMERICAN SONGWRITERS AGREEMENT SIGNED PRODUCER CLYDE OTIS :
$400.00

Clyde Lovern Otis SIGNED SONGWRITERS CONTRACT FOR HIS SONG
\"THAT\'S ALL THERE IS TO THAT\"
ALONG WITH CO-WRITER KELLY OWENS (WHO WROTE FOR ELVIS)
Clyde Lovern Otis, was an American songwriter and record producer, best known for his collaboration with singer Brook Benton, and for being one of the first African-American A&R executives at a major label.SONGThat\'s All There Is to ThatWritten byClyde Otis, Kelly OwensCopyright dateNovember 1, byVOGUE MUSICCLYDE OTIS MUSIC GROUP INC THELicensingRequest a synchronization licenseMETAAdded by Limbabwe
ORIGINALSHIGHLIGHTS 2VERSIONS 8ALLORIGINALSThat\'s All There Is to ThatDinah Shore with Harry Zimmerman and His OrchestraFirst release by Dinah Shore with Harry Zimmerman and His Orchestra (December 1955)
videoVERSIONSThat\'s All There Is to That written by Clyde Otis, Kelly Owens English
Title Performer Release date InfoThat\'s All There Is to That Dinah Shore with Harry Zimmerman and His Orchestra December 1955 First releaseThat\'s All There Is to That Nat \"King\" Cole and The Four Knights June 1956 That\'s All There Is to That Melvin Moore July 1956 That\'s All There Is to That Dinah Washington November 1959 That\'s All There Is to That Etta Jones February 1961 That\'s All There Is to That Hank Thompson and His Brazos Valley Boys February 1965 That\'s All There Is to That Etta Jones with Houston Person 1990 That\'s All There Is to That Marty Elkins July 6, 2018

\"That\'s All There Is to That\" is a song written by Clyde Otis and Kelly Owens and performed by Nat King Cole featuring The Four Knights. It reached #15 on the U.S. R&B chart and #16 on the U.S. pop chart in 1956.[1] The song reference\'s Ethel Barrymore\'s phrase to rebuff curtain calls, \"That\'s all there is, there isn\'t any more\".
The single\'s B-side, \"My Dream Sonata\" reached #59 on the U.S. pop chart in 1956.[2]
Other versionsDinah Shore released a version of the song as the B-side to her 1955 single \"Stolen Love\".[3]Dinah Washington released a version of the song on her 1959 album What a Diff\'rence a Day Makes![4]Etta Jones released a version of the song as a single in 1962, but it did not chart.[5]Hank Thompson and His Brazos Valley Boys released a version of the song on their 1965 album Breakin\' in Another Heart.[6]
Clyde Otis was a prolific songwriter and producer whose career spanned the decades from the emergence of rhythm and blues in the 1950s through the rap era of the 1980s. Over the course of his career, Otis is credited with writing or cowriting more than eight hundred songs. Known primarily from his collaborations with such superstars as Nat King Cole, Aretha Franklin, Dinah Washington, and Brook Benton, Otis was also the first African American to become a producer at a major record studio.
Developed a Career as a SongwriterBorn Clyde Lovern Otis on September 11, 1924, in Prentiss, Mississippi, Otis grew up in relative poverty. His family did not own a radio, and his exposure to popular music did not begin until he was in his teenage years. In 1943 Otis joined the Marines, and it was while serving in World War II that he developed a love of jazz and blues. Otis served with Bobby Troup, a piano player and songwriter who later became famous for the 1946 hit \"Route 66.\" Otis\'s brief friendship with Troup sparked his interest in writing songs.
Otis received an honorable discharge from the Marines and chose not to return to Mississippi. Following Troup\'s advice, he moved to New York City in an effort to break into the music industry. Though he spent most of his spare time writing songs, Otis took a variety of odd jobs to pay his expenses and worked for eight years as a cab driver. In 1954, while driving his taxi, Otis met a passenger acquainted with the music producer Sidney Kornhauser, and through this connection Otis\'s song \"That\'s All There Is to That\" was recorded as a single by the popular singer Nat King Cole. The recording was a chart hit in 1955, and Otis soon received offers from music companies to work as a professional songwriter.
In 1955 Otis joined Broadcast Music Inc. (BMI) and began writing songs for a client list that included many of the era\'s best known R&B artists. Cole recorded two more of Otis\'s songs, including \"Looking Back\" and \"Take a Look.\" The years 1956 and 1957 were busy for Otis, whose reputation quickly spread among producers. Fellow songwriter Aaron Schroeder, a frequent collaborator with Elvis Presley, convinced Otis to work with BMI\'s rival publishing company, the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP). Under the pseudonym \"Cliff Owens,\" Otis cowrote \"Any Way You Want Me\" with Schroeder, which was recorded by Presley in 1956. Otis and Luther Dixon cowrote Presley\'s 1958 hit \"Doncha\' Think It\'s Time.\" Otis also collaborated with the blues singer Ivory Joe Hunter to write another song for Presley, \"Ain\'t That Lovin\' You Baby.\"
Became a Music ProducerIn 1958 Otis was asked to join Mercury Records as a director of artists and repertoire (A&R), where he was responsible for signing new artists, producing records, and helping to write new songs. Though the vast majority of jazz, R&B, and blues artists were African- American, Otis was the first African American to achieve an executive position at a major industry label. He went on to write and produce hits for dozens of artists, including \"A Lover\'s Question\" by Clyde McPhatter and \"Call Me\" by Johnny Mathis, both recorded in 1958.
That same year Otis began collaborating with Brook Benton, a struggling musician who, like Otis, had been making his living as a songwriter and had produced a number of hits for artists such as Cole and McPhatter. Having similar backgrounds, Otis and Benton became a powerful team and produced dozens of songs that were eventually recorded by Benton and a number of other Mercury artists. Otis and Benton\'s first collaborative effort was the song \"It\'s Just a Matter of Time.\" At first the song was offered to Cole, but Otis later convinced Benton to sign with Mercury and record the song himself. Benton\'s version was released in 1959 and rose to #3 on the music charts, helping to bring Benton to the forefront of the R&B scene. Benton and Otis followed with seventeen consecutive hits, including \"Endlessly,\" \"So Many Ways,\" \"Kiddio,\" and \"The Boll Weevil Song.\"
In 1959 Otis convinced Benton to collaborate with Dinah Washington, whose 1959 hit \"What a Difference a Day Makes,\" was produced by Otis and netted Washington a Grammy Award for Best Rhythm and Blues Performance. Both artists were reluctant, but Otis convinced them that the partnership would prove successful. With Benton he cowrote four songs that were recorded as duets by Benton and Washington, including the top ten hits \"Baby (You\'ve Got What It Takes)\" and \"A Rockin\' Good Way (To Mess Around and Fall in Love).\"
Otis\'s career with Mercury peaked in 1962 when the company\'s artists scored fifty-one of the top one hundred hits, and Otis was the producer of thirty-three of the songs. At this point in his career, Otis was one of the most sought after producers in the R&B industry and had worked with many of the era\'s most notable artists. After his record year Otis was lured from Mercury Records by rival Liberty Records, with a significant increase in salary. However, after less than a year at Liberty he realized that his goals would best be met by working on his own.
Founded Music Publishing CompanyOtis founded his own company, The Clyde Otis Music Group, Inc., and moved to Nashville, Tennessee, where he began writing and producing for country music artists such as Sonny James and Charlie Rich. He retained his contacts in the R&B music business and produced a number of crossover hits, with country versions of some of his popular R&B hits. After several years of success in Nashville, Otis was paying a visit to Sarah Vaughn when Vaughn convinced him to relocate his business and his family to Englewood, New Jersey. Otis built a house near Vaughn in the upscale East Hill neighborhood of Englewood, where one of his neighbors was the jazz trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie.
Otis continued to expand his repertoire and, in the 1980s and 1990s branched out into hip-hop, taking such clients as Salt-n-Pepa and Grand Puba to the top of the U.S. rap charts. In the 1980s Otis was asked to serve on the BMI Foundation\'s artist advisory panel, where he helped to support the promotion of independent music through grants to nonprofit music organizations and artists. In 2000, for his services to the industry, Otis was awarded the Pioneer Award from the Rhythm and Blues Foundation.
Otis and his family remained in Englewood until his retirement, at which time he passed control of his company to his children. He died on January 8, 2008, in Englewood Hospital. The Clyde Otis Music Group, under the leadership of Otis\'s son Isidro, continued to work with artists in hip-hop, R&B, and other genres. For more than fifty years, Otis was a significant figure in the music industry, and through his early involvement in production and management he paved the way for a generation of African Americans who would rise to prominence as producers, writers, and record company executives. His songs, made famous by some of the leading performers of the 1950s and \'60s, remain a lasting tribute to his experience and his unique view of life and music.
At a Glance …Born Clyde Lovern Otis on September 11, 1924, in Prentiss, MS; died January 8, 2008, in Englewood, NJ; married (wife\'s name, Lourdes); children: Clyde III, Isidro, AnaIza. Military service: U.S. Marines, 1943-45.
Career: Broadcast Music Inc., songwriter, 1955-58; Mercury Records, producer, creative director, 1958-62; The Clyde Otis Music Group, Inc., founder and director, 1957-08.
Memberships: BMI Foundation, artistic advisory panel member, 1985-2008.
Awards: Pioneer Award, Rhythm and Blues Foundation, 2000.
Selected worksSongs\"That\'s All There Is to That,\" 1955.
\"Looking Back,\" 1955.
\"Take a Look,\" 1955.
(Under pseudonym Cliff Owens with Aaron Schroeder) \"Any Way You Want Me,\" 1956.
(With Ivory Joe Hunter) \"Ain\'t That Lovin\' You Baby,\" 1957.
\"Call Me,\" 1958.
(With Luther Dixon) \"Doncha\' Think It\'s Time,\" 1958.
\"A Lover\'s Question,\" 1958.
(With Brook Benton) \"Endlessly,\" 1959.
(With Brook Benton) \"It\'s Just a Matter of Time,\" 1959.
(With Brook Benton) \"So Many Ways,\" 1959.
(With Brook Benton) \"Kiddio,\" 1960.
(With Brook Benton and Luchi Dejesus) \"A Rockin\' Good Way (To Mess Around and Fall in Love),\" 1960.
(With Murray Stein and Brook Benton) \"Baby (You\'ve Got What it Takes),\" 1960.
(With Brook Benton) \"The Boll Weevil Song,\" 1961.
\"Think Twice,\" 1961.
SourcesPeriodicalsBusiness Wire, January 10, 2008.
The Independent (London, England), February 19, 2008.
New York Times, January 18, 2008.
The Times (London, England), January 15, 2008.
OnlineThe Clyde Otis Music Group, http://www.tcomg.com/ (accessed March 26, 2008).
OtherAdditional Information for this biography was obtained in an interview with Isidro Otis on February 27, 2008.
Best-known for his long and enormously successful collaboration with singer Brook Benton, Clyde Otis was among the most prolific songwriters and producers of the post-war era, making music business history as the first African American A&R executive for a major label. Born in Prentice, MS, Otis\' early exposure to music was limited -- his family didn\'t even own a radio -- and he only began composing songs after meeting \"Route 66\" writer Bobby Troup during a stint in the Marines. Following his discharge, Otis settled in New York City, spending the next eight years enduring a series of day jobs while honing his songwriting at night. He was driving a cab when in 1954 he overheard one of his fares discussing a party being thrown by music publisher Sidney Kornhauser; Otis convinced the woman to give Kornhauser his song \"That\'s All There Is to That,\" which became a Top 20 pop hit for Nat \"King\" Cole in mid-1956. Upon joining Mercury\'s A&R staff in 1958, Otis began writing and producing material for Brook Benton; beginning with the number three smash \"It\'s Just a Matter of Time,\" they teamed for a series of 17 consecutive hits, including \"Endlessly,\" \"So Many Ways,\" \"Kiddio,\" and the novelty favorite \"The Boll Weevil Song.\" Otis also produced a number of duets between Benton and Dinah Washington, among them \"Baby (You\'ve Got What It Takes)\" and \"A Rockin\' Good Way (To Mess Around and Fall in Love)\"; he worked on Washington\'s solo efforts, as well, most notably the classic \"What a Difference a Day Makes.\" Otis also helmed hits for Sarah Vaughan (\"Broken-Hearted Melody\"), Timi Yuro (the remarkable \"Hurt\") and the Diamonds (\"The Stroll\"), and in 1962 he alone produced an astounding 33 of Mercury\'s 51 chart hits. Upon leaving the label, he briefly tenured at Liberty Records before founding his own publishing firm, the Clyde Otis Music Group, and moving into independent production. Upon relocating to Nashville, Otis produced sessions for country stars Charlie Rich and Sonny James; Elvis Presley, Aretha Franklin, Johnny Mathis, and Patti Page all recorded his songs as well.
Clyde Otis, a songwriter and record producer who was one of the first black executives at a major record company, died on Jan. 8 in Englewood, N.J. He was 83.
His death was announced by his son Isidro.
Born in rural Mississippi in 1924, Mr. Otis did not become seriously involved in music until he met the songwriter Bobby Troup, best known for “Route 66,” when both men served in the Marines during World War II. Inspired by Mr. Troup, he began writing songs when he moved to New York after his discharge, with limited success. After several years of struggle, he finally hit the charts in 1956 when Nat King Cole’s recording of his song “That’s All There Is to That” reached the Billboard Top 20.
In 1958 Mr. Otis joined Mercury Records as director of artists and repertory, an unusually high-profile position for an African-American in the mainstream music business at the time.ImageClyde OtisClyde OtisCredit...Business WireAt Mercury, where he produced records and was responsible for signing acts, he forged an enduring partnership with the singer Brook Benton. He produced more than a dozen hits for Benton, also writing or collaborating on most of them, beginning with “It’s Just a Matter of Time,” which he and Benton wrote together. He also produced and helped write Benton’s two Top 10 duets with Dinah Washington, “Baby (You’ve Got What It Takes)” and “A Rockin’ Good Way (to Mess Around and Fall in Love),” both released in 1960. His many other Mercury hits included Washington’s “What a Diff’rence a Day Makes” and Sarah Vaughan’s “Broken-Hearted Melody.”
After leaving Mercury in 1962 Mr. Otis worked briefly for Liberty Records before forming his own music publishing company, the Clyde Otis Music Group, and establishing himself as an independent producer. He spent some time in Nashville, where he shifted his focus to country music, producing sessions by Charlie Rich and others, before returning to the New York area and settling in Englewood.
Dig deeper into the moment.Special offer: Subscribe for $1 a week.Mr. Otis is credited as the writer or co-writer of almost 800 songs, according to Broadcast Music Inc., the music licensing organization. Among the countless artists who have recorded his compositions are Elvis Presley, Aretha Franklin, Bobby Darin, Johnny Mathis and Natalie Cole, whose recording of his “Take a Look” won a Grammy Award for best jazz vocal performance in 1994.
In addition to his son Isidro, of Chestnut Ridge, N.Y., Mr. Otis is survived by his wife, Lourdes; another son, Clyde Otis III of Maplewood, N.J.; a daughter, AnaIza Otis of Bloomfield, N.J.; and five grandchildren.
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.\\
The songwriter and record producer Clyde Otis was noted for his long association with Brook Benton. He wrote both ballads and beat songs, but was at his best in reflective work which drew on his own life, such as \"Looking Back\" (for Nat \"King\" Cole), \"It\'s Just a Matter of Time\" (Brook Benton) and \"This Bitter Earth\" (Dinah Washington).
Otis was born into a poor family in Prentice, Mississippi in 1925. The family did not possess a radio, so he had little opportunity to hear the hits of the day. In his teens, he started playing drums and, unusually for a songwriter, never moved to the piano, preferring to construct melodies in his head and then sing them to the arranger.
Whilst in the Marines, Otis met the songwriter Bobby Troup, who suggested that he move to New York if he wanted to sell his songs. Otis became a cab driver in New York and, in 1955, persuaded a passenger to pass his song \"That\'s All There is to That\" to a music publisher, Sidney Kornhauser. Nat \"King\" Cole with the Four Knights recorded the song and Otis joined the songwriters\' organisation BMI. He wrote further songs for Cole including, in 1958, the standard \"Looking Back\". \"Take a Look\" was successful for both Cole and later for his daughter, Natalie.
Another music publisher, Aaron Schroeder, persuaded Otis to write songs for a rival organisation, Ascap. Otis chose the pseudonym Cliff Owens and with Schroeder wrote \"Any Way You Want Me\", a B-side for Elvis Presley in 1956, and \"Doncha Think It\'s Time\" in 1958. One day, while out hunting with the blues singer Ivory Joe Hunter, Otis received a message that further material for Presley was wanted, and together they came up with \"Ain\'t that Lovin\' You Baby\" within two hours.
After writing \"The Wall\", a nondescript hit for Patti Page in 1957, Otis joined Mercury Records in Chicago as an A&R manager, the first Afro-American to hold such a position within a major label. He began a long partnership with Brook Benton and among the hits he wrote, often with Benton and Belford Hendricks, are \"It\'s Just a Matter of Time\", \"Kiddio\", \"Endlessly\" and \"Think Twice\". With Dinah Washington he wrote a philosophical ballad \"This Bitter Earth\" and produced the classic recordings \"What a Diff\'rence a Day Made\" (1958) and \"September in the Rain\" (1961).
Although Washington was a prima donna, and Benton was reluctant, Otis could see the potential of teaming the two Mercury artists. They only recorded four songs together, but these included two million-sellers, \"Baby (You\'ve Got What It Takes)\" and \"A Rockin\' Good Way (To Mess Around and Fall in Love)\", both in 1960.
Otis\'s other songs include \"A Lover\'s Question\" for Clyde McPhatter (1958), \"Call Me\" for Johnny Mathis (1958), \"I\'ll Take Care of You\" for Bobby Bland (1960) and \"What\'s a Matter Baby\" for Timi Yuro (1962). He produced many of Aretha Franklin\'s early records for Columbia, but he admitted, \"No one really knew what to do with her.\"
During the 1960s, Otis established his own company, the Clyde Otis Music Group and produced country singers in Nashville including Charlie Rich and Sonny James.Clyde Lovern Otis (September 11, 1924 – January 8, 2008), was an American songwriter and record producer, best known for his collaboration with singer Brook Benton, and for being one of the first African-American A&R executives at a major label.[1]
According to the music licensing organization Broadcast Music Inc., Otis is credited as the writer or co-writer of almost 800 songs.[1]Contents1 Early career2 A&R executive3 Clyde Otis Music Group4 Awards5 Personal life6 References7 External linksEarly careerAfter serving in the Marines during World War II, Otis moved to New York City and inspired by fellow Marine Bobby Troup, best known for \"Route 66\", began writing songs. Otis\' first success was Nat King Cole’s recording of his song \"That\'s All There Is to That\", which reached the Billboard Top 20 in 1956.
A&R executiveOn joining Mercury Records as director of A&R in 1958,[1] Otis began writing and producing material for Brook Benton. This collaboration led to \"It\'s Just a Matter of Time\", \"Endlessly\", \"So Many Ways\", \"Kiddio\" and the novelty song, \"The Boll Weevil Song\".
Otis also produced a number of duets between Benton and Dinah Washington, among them \"Baby (You\'ve Got What It Takes)\" and \"A Rockin\' Good Way (To Mess Around and Fall in Love)\"; he worked on Washington\'s solo efforts, as well, most notably the classic \"What a Difference a Day Makes\" and \"This Bitter Earth\".
Otis also produced hits for Sarah Vaughan (\"Broken-Hearted Melody\"), Timi Yuro (\"Hurt\") and The Diamonds (\"The Stroll\"), which he also co-wrote. In 1962 Otis produced 33 of Mercury\'s 51 chart hits.[2]
Clyde Otis Music GroupUpon leaving the label, he briefly worked at Liberty Records before founding his own publishing firm, the Clyde Otis Music Group, and moving into independent production. Relocating to Nashville, Tennessee, Otis produced sessions for country singers Charlie Rich and Sonny James. His songs have also been recorded by Elvis Presley, Aretha Franklin, Johnny Mathis, and Patti Page. In the late 1970s, he collaborated again with Brook Benton on several albums for various labels.
AwardsWinner of a Grammy Award in 1994 for producing Natalie Cole\'s \"Take a Look\",[3] Otis was given a Pioneer Award by the Rhythm and Blues Foundation in 2000.
Personal lifeHe lived in Englewood, New Jersey, for over 40 years, and died there on January 8, 2008. He was survived by his wife, Lourdes; two sons, Isidro and Clyde III; a daughter, AnaIza; and five grandchildren.[1]SONGThat\'s All There Is to ThatWritten byClyde Otis, Kelly OwensCopyright dateNovember 1, byVOGUE MUSICCLYDE OTIS MUSIC GROUP INC THELicensingRequest a synchronization licenseMETAAdded by Limbabwe
ORIGINALSHIGHLIGHTS 2VERSIONS 8ALLORIGINALSThat\'s All There Is to ThatDinah Shore with Harry Zimmerman and His OrchestraFirst release by Dinah Shore with Harry Zimmerman and His Orchestra (December 1955)
videoVERSIONSThat\'s All There Is to That written by Clyde Otis, Kelly Owens English
Title Performer Release date InfoThat\'s All There Is to That Dinah Shore with Harry Zimmerman and His Orchestra December 1955 First releaseThat\'s All There Is to That Nat \"King\" Cole and The Four Knights June 1956 That\'s All There Is to That Melvin Moore July 1956 That\'s All There Is to That Dinah Washington November 1959 That\'s All There Is to That Etta Jones February 1961 That\'s All There Is to That Hank Thompson and His Brazos Valley Boys February 1965 That\'s All There Is to That Etta Jones with Houston Person 1990 That\'s All There Is to That Marty Elkins July 6, 2018
37CHAPTER 2Clyde Otis, Dave Dreyerand Mercury RecordsIn January 1959, Brook Benton’s first hit stormed the charts, capturingthe hearts of millions. The long-awaited success had finally arrived. Itreally had been just a matter of time, and it was the song ‘It’s Just AMatter Of Time’ which catapulted the young African-American singerup into the stratosphere. It was co-written by Brook, Clyde Otis andBelford C. Hendricks, the composer, arranger and bandleader whowould be responsible for a whole string of Benton hits in the ensuingyears. Hendricks had already co-written Nat ‘King’ Cole’s hit, ‘LookingBack’, with Benton and Otis, and he and his orchestra hadaccompanied Cole on various occasions. He had also arranged suchpopular records as ‘Dear Lonely Hearts’, ‘Ramblin’ Rose’ and ‘WhenYou’re Smiling’.The collaboration between Clyde Otis and Brook Benton hasalready been mentioned. But how did it actually come about? Aftercutting ‘The Wall’, his last recording for Epic, Brook requested ameeting with Otis, who had already written a number of successfulsongs. They were finally introduced to one other through RoyHamilton’s manager, Bill Cook. Brook showed Otis some of his songs.Clyde laughed at them, and thought them amateurish. Hurt, but notdiscouraged, Brook offered to bring more of his songs. Although Otiswasn’t very impressed, he agreed, as he was sure he would never seeBrook again. But Brook’s songs kept getting better and better, and hewas eventually able to sell some of them to him. Otis then introducedBrook to publisher Dave Dreyer, who felt that they should worktogether. This partnership yielded well over 150 compositions.Brook describes his collaboration with Dave Dreyer as the firstbig step towards his desired goal. He repeatedly attributes a large partof his success to his former manager, the publisher and composer ofbig hits like ‘Me And My Shadow’, ‘Back In Your Own Back Yard’ and‘Cecilia’.33 It was Dave Dreyer who was initially responsible for bringingabout the extremely productive collaboration between Brook Bentonand Clyde Otis. Their first hit together (co-written with Belford33 Long Island Press, 12 August 1962.Chapter 2: Clyde Otis, Dave Dreyer and Mercury Records38Hendricks) was Nat Cole’s ‘Looking Back’. One success led toanother. Eventually, Otis became the leading A&R man at MercuryRecords, and Benton was signed to the label as a recording artist.34‘It’s Just A Matter Of Time’ was his first hit for the label, andwas followed by many others up to 1961. (In this context, it should benoted that some of the recordings released from 1959 onwards hadactually been made years earlier – namely in 1955 (‘It’s Just A MatterOf Time’, ‘Hurtin’ Inside’) and 1956 (‘So Close’, ‘How Many Times’, ‘SoMany Ways’, ‘Endlessly’).35Now let us give Brook Benton a chance to speak. In aninterview broadcast in early October 1986 on various US radiostations, the singer recollected how he had cut a demo of oneparticular song, ‘It’s Just A Matter Of Time’, which became his first bigsuccess: ‘I wasn’t sure that they were gonna allow me to record thissong as an artist, so I used two renditions. One demonstration record Imade with the low notes, and the other one I used my voice ordinarily.The publisher, who was my manager, said he wouldn’t let anyone hear34 ‘Brook Benton Bulletin’, Hit Parader, September 1961. 35 The exact details and recording and release dates of these records, insofar as they are known,appear in the Discography.Clyde Otis (left) and Brook Benton in the studio, early ‘60s.Chapter 2: Clyde Otis, Dave Dreyer and Mercury Records39this song. And that’s what he did. Atlantic called me and wanted me todemonstrate some things, and I demonstrated that low-note rendition –in person of course. But, doing this, I got into very big differences withClyde.’ The ‘low notes’ mentioned by Brook would become one of thetrademarks of his vocal art.36At the end of 1957, a vocal group called the Diamonds had aNo. 4 pop hit with ‘The Stroll’. Clyde Otis and Belford Hendricks werecredited on the label as the song’s composers. At a concert in 2000,their lead singer, Dave Somerville, talked about its genesis andidentified Clyde Otis as the writer and the young Brook Benton, who atthat time was still waiting for his first hit, as vocal coach. Brook hadalso made a demo of the number, on which he experimented with lownotes for the first time. This mannerism is widely regarded as a legacyof early R&B giant Percy Mayfield. In a 1983 interview for RadioLondon, Brook cited Louis Jordan, Percy Mayfield and Ivory JoeHunter as his early role models. Blind Boy Fuller was the first bluessinger that he consciously listened to. However, it was the deep voiceof Percy Mayfield that he had especially admired as a youngster andhoped that he too would be able to sing those low notes one day. So,he began working at it and cultivating this style, albeit withoutconsciously trying to copy Mayfield.37 Benton’s vocal arrangement wasadopted by the Diamonds, and close listening to their version clearlybears that out. However, it appears that he also contributed his ownideas to the Diamonds’ worldwide hit.Brook continues: ‘Through “The Stroll” Clyde got a position withMercury Records. Naturally, he took me along and said he could getme to go along. And then I made a choice where I should go: toAtlantic, or go to Mercury with Clyde, and naturally I went with Clyde.’Here, Clyde Otis, who one of the absolute greats of Americanpopular music, needs to be looked at in greater detail. Born inMississippi in 1924, he became the first African-American A&R boss ofa major label. He too had struck out to New York to try to fulfil hismusical ambitions. Like his later musical partner and protégé, BrookBenton, Otis worked different jobs during the daytime and composedat night. His ascent finally began in 1958, when he joined Mercury –together with Brook Benton, of course. Otis worked with greats likeDinah Washington, Sarah Vaughan, Timi Yuro, the Diamonds andothers, in the course of which he became the first producer to usestring arrangements for black vocalists. The overemphasis of the stringsection by African-American arrangers that some critics find fault withwas without a doubt a consequence of the new possibilities opened upby Clyde Otis.36 Benton’s voice is examined in greater detail in Chapter 4. 37 Now Dig This 212, UK, November 2000.Chapter 2: Clyde Otis, Dave Dreyer and Mercury Records40It is also worthy of mention that Clyde Otis was the first AfricanAmerican producer to win a Country Music Award: he organized andproduced sessions for country stars in Nashville. Elvis Presley, ArethaFranklin, Johnny Mathis, Patti Page and others recorded his songs.The first phase of his collaboration with Brook Benton ended in 1961with the latter’s greatest-ever chart triumph, ‘The Boll Weevil Song’.The years that followed turned out to be so successful forBrook Benton that he could scarcely have imagined them in his wildestdreams.266OKeh 7052 (1955) OKeh 7055 (1955)OKeh 7058 (1955) Epic 9199 (1957)Vik X-0311 (1957) Mercury 71394 (1958)267US Releases78sBILL LANDFORD & THE LANDFORDAIRESColumbia 30186 Touch Me, Jesus / You Ain’t Got Faith (Till You Got Religion) 1/1950Columbia 30203 Run On For A Long Time / Troubled, Lord I’m Troubled 10/1950BILL LANDFORD QUARTETRCA Victor 20-5351 Jesus Lover Of My Soul / The Devil Is A Real Bright Boy 6/1953RCA Victor 20-5459 I Dreamed Of A City Called Heaven / You Ain’t Got Faith 10/1953CHUCK WILLIS & THE SANDMENOKeh 7051 Lawdy Miss Mary (reverse without the Sandmen) 2/1955LINCOLN CHASE & THE SANDMENColumbia 40475 That’s All I Need / The Message 3/1955THE SANDMENOKeh 7052 When I Grow Too Old To Dream / Somebody To Love 4/1955CHUCK WILLIS & THE SANDMENOKeh 7055 I Can Tell (reverse without the Sandmen) 5/1955BROOK BENTON & THE SANDMEN*BROOK BENTON**OKeh 7058 Ooh* / The Kentuckian Song** 8/1955BROOK BENTONOKeh 7065 Bring Me Love / Some Of My Best Friends 1/1956Epic 9177 Love Made Me Your Fool / Give Me A Sign 8/1956Epic 9199 All My Love Belongs To You / The Wall 2/1957Vik X-0285 [RCA] Come On, Be Nice / I Wanna Do Everything For You 7/1957Vik X-0311 [RCA] Devoted / A Million Miles From Nowhere 12/1957Vik X-0325 [RCA] Crinoline Skirt / Because You Love Me 4/1958Mercury 71394 It’s Just A Matter Of Time / Hurtin’ Inside 1/1959Mercury 71443 Endlessly / So Close 3/195945sBILL LANDFORD QUARTETRCA Victor 47-5351 Jesus Lover Of My Soul / The Devil Is A Real Bright Boy 6/1953RCA Victor 47-5459 I Dreamed Of A City Called Heaven / You Ain’t Got Faith 10/1953CHUCK WILLIS & THE SANDMENOKeh 4-7051 Lawdy Miss Mary (reverse without the Sandmen) 2/1955LINCOLN CHASE & THE SANDMENColumbia 4-40475 That’s All I Need / The Message 3/1955THE SANDMENOKeh 4-7052 When I Grow Too Old To Dream / Somebody To Love 4/1955CHUCK WILLIS & THE SANDMENOKeh 4-7055 I Can Tell (reverse without the Sandmen) 5/1955US Releases268BROOK BENTON & THE SANDMEN*BROOK BENTON**OKeh 4-7058 Ooh* / The Kentuckian Song** 8/1955BROOK BENTONOKeh 4-7065 Bring Me Love / Some Of My Best Friends 1/1956Epic 5-9177 Love Made Me Your Fool / Give Me A Sign 8/1956Epic 5-9199 All My Love Belongs To You / The Wall 2/1957Vik 4X-0285 [RCA] I Wanna Do Everything For You / Come On, Be Nice 7/1957Vik 4X-0311 [RCA] A Million Miles From Nowhere / Devoted 12/1957Vik 4X-0325 [RCA] Crinoline Skirt / Because You Love Me 4/1958Vik 4X-0336 [RCA] Crazy In Love With You / I’m Coming Back To You 8/1958Mercury 71394X45 It’s Just A Matter Of Time / Hurtin’ Inside 1/1959Mercury 71443X45 Endlessly / So Close 3/1959(also stereo SS-10005X45)RCA Victor 47-7489 Only Your Love / If Only I Had Known 3/1959Mercury 71478X45 Thank You Pretty Baby / With All Of My Heart 7/1959(also stereo SS-10012X45)Mercury 71512X45 So Many Ways / I Want You Forever 9/1959(also stereo SS-10019X45)Mercury 71554X45 Nothing In The World / This Time Of The Year 12/1959Mercury 71558X45 This Time Of The Year / How Many Times 12/1959DINAH WASHINGTON & BROOK BENTON*BROOK BENTON & DINAH WASHINGTON**Mercury 71565X45 Baby (You’ve Got What It Takes)* / I Do** 1/1960(also stereo SS-10025X45)BROOK BENTONMercury 71566X45 The Ties That Bind / Hither And Thither And Yon 1/1960(also stereo SS-10030X45)DINAH WASHINGTON & BROOK BENTON*BROOK BENTON & DINAH WASHINGTON**Mercury 71629X45 A Rockin’ Good Way (To Mess Around And Fall In Love)* / 5/1960I Believe**(also stereo SS-10032X45)BROOK BENTONMercury 71652X45 Kiddio / The Same One 7/1960(also stereo SS-10037X45)Mercury 71722 Fools Rush In / Someday You’ll Want Me To Want You 10/1960Mercury 71730 Merry Christmas, Happy New Year / This Time Of The Year 11/1960ERNESTINE ANDERSONMercury 71772 A Lover’s Question (reverse without Brook Benton) 1/1961BROOK BENTONMercury 71774 Think Twice / For My Baby 1/1961Mercury 71820 The Boll Weevil Song / Your Eyes 4/1961Mercury 71859 Frankie And Johnny / It’s Just A House Without You 8/1961Mercury 71903 Revenge / Really, Really 10/1961Mercury 71912 Shadrack / The Lost Penny 12/1961Mercury 71925 Walk On The Wild Side / Somewhere In The Used To Be 1/1962Mercury 71962 Hit Record / Thanks To The Fool 4/1962Mercury 72009 Two Tickets To Paradise / It’s Alright (not released)Mercury 72024 Lie To Me / With The Touch Of Your Hand 7/1962Mercury 72055 Hotel Happiness / Still Waters Run Deep 11/1962Mercury 72099 I Got What I Wanted / Dearer Than Life 2/1963Mercury 72135 My True Confession / Tender Years 5/1963Mercury 72177 Two Tickets To Paradise / Don’t Hate Me (For Loving You) 8/1963US Releases269RCA Victor 47-5351 (1953, promo) Columbia 4-40475 (1955)OKeh 4-7058 (1955, promo) Mercury 71443X45 (1959)Mercury 71565X45 (1960) Mercury SS-10032X45 (1960)
As son of the late American songwriter and producer, Clyde Otis, Isidro Otis spent a lot of time in his youth with artists who made music history. These were his father’s peers, his elders. This unique experience seems to have cultivated in Isidro not only a deep appreciation for music, but also a work ethic, value system and wisdom far beyond his years.
Otis recalls, “My father was an innovator, a trailblazer, … he was very creative.” As an A&R (Artists and Repertoire) record label executive, Otis signed artists, recorded material, and got records out. Otis’ extensive catalog includes artists like Aretha Franklin, Ben E. King, and Brook Benton. Clyde produced and co-wrote 33 out of 51 charted hits while at Mercury records, like, Dinah Washington’s “What a difference a day makes,” Aretha Franklin’s “Take a look,” Bobby Blue Brand’s classic “I’ll take care of you” and Nat “King” Cole’s “Looking Back.” In the 1990s, Natalie Cole sang Otis’ song, “Take a look” on the album “Unforgettable,” interspersing her late father’s voice, earning the “Best Jazz Vocal Performance” Grammy for her version of the classic song.
“This work was phenomenal in many ways,” says Isidro. Clyde Otis paved the way for so many musical artists. An old jazz musician, Milt Jackson, tells Isidro, “If it wasn’t for your father, I would not have had work. I’d call him when I couldn’t make my mortgage, and he’d find me work.” Isidro’s heard many stories like that, and often finds he follows the same practice.
Isidro grew up in the same neighborhood in Englewood, New Jersey with a community of music legends he called “uncles.” Dizzy Gillespie lived across the street, while Wilson Pickett and George Benson were nearby. Willie Nelson once flew his private jet above their home, and “dipped his wing” which is a way of saying ‘hello” to his friends on the block.
Isidro’s family vacationed with people like The Isley Brothers (Rudolph and O’Kelly), and Lee Arnold. The men played poker and hunted deer together in the Catskills, and saw great performers like Sammy Davis in Atlantic City. Uncle Dizzy used to bring fireworks from out of state to the annual Fourth of July parties. Gillespie taught Isidro how to dive in his outdoor pool. “Those guys were so talented and they all knew each other well,” Otis recalls fondly. His family still spends time with some of those friends, who share a similar respect for the past, their history.
Isidro Otis’ tenure as president of The Clyde Otis Music Group started in 1986, following his graduation from the University of Pittsburgh with a degree in business management. Isidro worked alongside his father for several years. When his father suffered from a prolonged illness, Isidro became the acting president of the company. “His brother, Clyde Otis III, an attorney, and sister Ana, a talented artist, have also played roles in the company over the years, making their mother Lourdes proud.” As President of The Clyde Otis Music Group (TCOMG), Isidro Otis exhibits a level of integrity that is rare these days. Perhaps his unique upbringing has something to do with this.
Isidro has been able to increase the business revenue by more than one thousand percent since he was made the president of the company, securing administration deals with songwriters and producers, negotiating licensing agreements in new technology. He has successfully secured and administered more than six thousand copyrights to-date. He currently oversees songs in the TCOMG catalog, which have generated over a million performances on radio. Isidro has effectively placed agreements for copyrights in over twelve foreign territories. He manages song placements in radio, film, television and commercials. Yet he’s content not being in the spotlight.
Isidro’s father, Clyde Otis, helped to create many legends and legendary music, though his work and life are sung far less loudly than the celebrities he helped create. Clyde Otis is in many ways an under-sung hero, pun intended. Mike Boone presents the life of Clyde Otis on his “Soul Facts Show,” which can be viewed on YouTube. After watching Otis’ biography, one viewer said, “I’ve seen Mr. Otis’ name on records all my life, I know many of his songs but knew nothing about him until now.”
After serving in the Marines during World War II, Clyde Otis moved to New York and inspired by fellow-Marine Bobby Troupe, best known for “Route 66,” began writing songs. Otis got his big break as a songwriter while driving a taxicab. One night, a passenger told him he was going to a party with big time record producers. Clyde convinced the rider to give one of his songs to a producer at the party, which landed him his first hit, Nat King Cole’s recording of his song “That’s All There Is to That,” which reached Billboard Top 20 in 1956. After joining Mercury records, he collaborated with Brook Benton on hits such as “Endlessly,” “What a Difference a Day Makes” and so many more including classic rock ‘n’ roll songs. Elvis recorded such hits as “Ain’t That Loving You Baby” and “Doncha Think Its Time.” According to Broadcast Music Inc., Otis is credited as the writer or co-writer of almost 800 songs. Clyde Otis died at age 83 in 2008.
Clyde Otis was the first African American to maintain a high profile position as an executive at a major record production company, establishing an important foundation for other African Americans. He greatly influenced the course of music history. Like his father, Isidro is humble about this, saying, “If other people didn’t tell me this, I’d never know it.”
After rising to great success at two record companies, Clyde started his own independent production company in 1962, since he had relationships with so many artists. In the 1960s, each song was recorded live, with the whole band playing on stage in sync with the singers. Clyde coordinated all details of such a production, sometimes dealing with artists who didn’t show up, or needed to be coaxed from hotel rooms. Isidro enjoys listening to a song that reveals how different music production used to be. In one song, a duet, a male singer accidentally sang one of the female’s lines, but the two just kept singing with joy and laughter, and most people don’t notice. Today, the different pieces often come together in the editing room, with the artists and musicians recorded in different places.
While technology affords today’s music producers many conveniences, Isidro “goes with the flow” and enjoys the flexibility the changes afford him, but senses that maybe we’ve lost something in the modernization of music production. People don’t often meet and develop relationships and supportive communities of artists like the ones with whom he grew up. There seemed to be more comradery in the industry, and both Clyde and Isidro always met with people in person and contracts were signed in ink. Today, signatures are typically electronic, and personal contact is less the norm.
When Isidro was a young adult, he spent a lot of time in nightclubs and studios until 3 or 4 a.m. He was always trying to sign writers and place their demos with recording artists. One can easily burn out in the music industry, as we have seen many talented people do. Isidro’s health suffered, and he decided he didn’t want to miss so much of family life, as his two young daughters were quickly growing. He cut back on travel as business changed drastically. Otis is no longer so concerned with keeping his music at the top of the charts, and this has spared him many headaches.
Part of Isidro’s role is that he calculates and distributes royalties for writers signed to his roster, and keeps careful watch over their estates as well. Recently, he heard that the daughter of a legendary singer was having financial difficulty. Isidro was surprised, knowing what he does about the royalties. He had companies audited and found that they hadn’t been paying appropriate royalties, much to the ignorance of the heirs. He arranged for proper amends to be made, and called this particular woman to alert her that there would be a little more in her regular royalty check that month, $25,000 in retroactive pay. Isidro could have hidden some of this, but he makes sure that the appropriate people are paid their due. His reputation for honesty has generated much unsolicited business for him.
While on the board of governors at The Friar’s Club in New York City, where he is currently the club’s ‘Nine-Ball Champion,’ Isidro was instrumental when a well-respected television personality wasn’t being treated properly in a particular situation. Again, he helped the differing individuals make amends in a situation where someone was wronged. He seems to perform such courageous acts with tremendous dignity.
If Otis hadn’t grown up in this business, he suspects he’d be a professional billiard player. Isidro lives in Rockland County, and enjoys spending quality time with his beautiful wife, Dawn Marie Montgomery-Otis, and their two children, Lourdes “Sydney,” and Lauren.
Producer, record exec and songwriter from Prentice, Mississippi, whose beginnings were humble but who was inspired by the muse from a young age, playing the drums and making up songs in his head.
Uncle Sam called and Clyde wound up serving in the Marines, where he met Bobby Troup, who was also a songwriter and had penned the jazz standard, “Route 66”. Troup encouraged the young talent to move to the Big Apple and shill his songs. After being discharged, Clyde did just that.
Success was elusive, but hard-fought. He spent eight years working odd jobs to support his songwriting habit, until finally, in 1954, a lucky, lucky break landed in his cab. He was driving a taxi and one of his passengers was talking about a big to-do being hosted by Sidney Kornhauser, who was a music publisher. Clyde jumped on the opportunity to give her one of his songs—he just so happened to have one with him—so she could pass it along to Kornhauser. The song was “That’s All There is to That”, which was recorded by Nat King Cole and The Four Knights and became a top-twenty hit.
Clyde joined BMI and was wooed by Aaron Schroeder, a rival publisher, to write for ASCAP, which he did under the nom-de-plume, Cliff Owens. Cliff Owens wrote a couple of songs for Elvis Presley, including “Ain’t That Lovin’ You Baby” and “Any Way You Want Me”.
Clyde Otis went on to make history as the first black Artist and Repertory Manager at a major label, Mercury Records, in 1958. It was here that he teamed up with Brook Benton to write several of his hits, including “The Boll Weevil Song”, “Endlessly” and “It’s Just a Matter of Time”. He also conjured up the rather unusual pairing of Benton with the Queen of the Blues, Dinah Washington, for a quartet of recordings, including “Baby (You’ve Got What it Takes)” and “A Rockin’ Good Way (to Mess Around and Fall in Love)”. Clyde had also produced the Washington classic, “What a Difference a Day Makes”.
Other hits that bore his fingerprints included The Diamonds’ “The Stroll”, Sarah Vaughan’s “Broken-Hearted Melody” and Timi Yuro’s “Hurt”. He also produced some of Aretha Franklin’s earliest recordings, although at the time, she was a bit of an oddity that didn’t fit a particular genre.
Otis had enough clout in the industry by now to start up his own music outfit, The Clyde Otis Music Group. He even produced some country acts, like Sonny James and Charlie Rich. His songs have been recorded by a wide array of artists, including Bobby Bland, Bobby Darin, Johnny Mathis, Clyde McPhatter, and Patti Page. In 1994, Natalie Cole’s rendition of his “Take a Look” took home a Grammy in the category of Best Jazz Vocal Performance.
In 2000, the Rhythm and Blues Foundation gave him a Pioneer Award. Pioneer is an excellent way to describe Clyde’s distinguished career. Broadcast Music Inc. figures he’s written about 800 songs. Although he shuffled off his mortal coil in 2008, his legacy is very much alive. The Clyde Otis Music Group continues to thrive under the watchful eye of his son, Isidro.