Otis Rush
Otis Rush was born on 29/04/1935 near Philadelphia, Mississippi. Rush is left-handed and plays a left-handed instrument strung upside-down. In 1948, Rush moved to Chicago, Illinois. He would make a name for himself playing in Blues clubs in the South and West side of the city.In 1956, Rush released his first single called "I Can't Quit You Baby" with Cobra Records. It reached number 6 on the Billboard R&B chart.
From 1956 to 1958, Rush recorded with Cobra Records. He would release eight singles with them including "Double Trouble" and "All Your Love (I Miss Loving).". Some of the singles included Ike Turner or Jody Williams on guitar.
In 1959, Cobra Records went bankrupt.
In 1960, Rush signed a recording contract with Chess Records. He would record eight tracks for Chess, four of which were released as two single in 1960.
In 1962, Rush recorded for Duke Records but only one single called "Homework" backed with "I Have to Laugh" was released.
In 1965, Rush recorded for Vanguard.
During the 1960s, Rush would play in other cities in the US as well as Europe. He would play at festivals such as American Folk Blues Festival.
In 1969, Rush released the album "Mourning in the Morning" with Cotillion Records. It was recorded at FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, it was produced by Michael Bloomfield and Nick Gravenites. The album incorporated soul music and rock.
In 1971, Rush recorded the album "Right Place, Wrong Time" in San Francisco for Capitol Records but it was not released at the time. It was finally released in 1976 after Rush purchased the master from Capitol and released by P-Vine Records in Japan. Bullfrog Records released it in the US soon after.
During the 1970s, Rush would also record albums for Delmark Records and Sonet Records in Europe. By the end of the 1970s, he had stopped performing and touring.
In 1985, Rush went on a comeback tour of the US and released a new live album called "Tops" which was recorded at the San Francisco Blues Festival.
In 1994, Rush released the album "Ain't Enough Comin'".
In 1998, Rush released the album "Any Place I'm Goin'" which would earn him his first Grammy Award for Best Traditional Blues Album.
In 2002, Rush was featured on the Bo Diddley tribute album "Hey Bo Diddley - A Tribute!".
In 2004, Rush suffered a stroke and stopped touring.
In 2006, Rush released a live album from a live recording made in 1999 called "Live...and in Concert from San Francisco".