Otis Spann
Otis Spann was a core member of Muddy Waters’ legendary bands of the 1950s and ’60s. Spann was born in Jackson, Mississippi, in 1930, but several documents and many musicians suggested he was older. Otis was one of five children. He began playing the piano at seven. By the age of 14, he was playing in bands in the Jackson area. He found inspiration in the 78 rpm records of Big Maceo Merriweather. Spann moved to Chicago in 1946, where he worked as a bricklayer. In the Windy City, Spann began pursuing day work and professional music opportunities, Big Maceo Merriweather took the young pianist under his wing and mentored him.
In Chicago Spann played on records by Muddy, Howlin’ Wolf, Sonny Boy Williamson, Bo Diddley, Chuck Berry, and others. Spann performed as a solo act with the guitarist Morris Pejoe, working a regular spot at the Tic-Toc Lounge. Spann was known for his distinctive piano style. He became Muddy Waters’ piano player in late 1952 and participated in his first recording session with the band on September 24, 1953. This was the start of a long and mutually beneficial partnership that saw Muddy’s blockbusting performances backed by Otis’s steady rolling piano figures and sympathetic solos.
He stayed with Muddy Waters until 1968. He played on many of Waters’ most famous songs, including the blues standards “Hoochie Coochie Man“, “I’m Ready“, and “Got My Mojo Working“. Otis Spann continued to record as a solo artist and session player with other musicians. They included Bo Diddley and Howlin’ Wolf, during his tenure with the group. Spann was in great demand by Chess Records as a session pianist, accompanying artists such as Bo Diddley and Chuck Berry. His work for Chess Records includes the 1954 single “It Must Have Been the Devil” backed with “Five Spot“, with B.B. King and Jody Williams on guitars.
He is credited for playing piano on a couple of Chuck Berry songs, including “You Can’t Catch Me” (1956). It wasn’t until 1960 that he got the opportunity to record an album of his own. “Otis Spann Is The Blues” is not only the first solo album ever recorded by Otis Spann. It is the first album ever recorded for the fledgling New York City based Candid Records label. Spann would continue to make compelling music throughout the decade of the 1960’s both as a leader and sideman. He recorded with various combinations of musicians and instrumental accompanists for several different labels.
Spann amassed over this period of time a recorded legacy that stands as a monument to his prodigious talent. As much as any single player, he helped to develop the language of the piano in the blues idiom and then continued to speak in that dialect with exceptional, articulated eloquence for the duration of his short life. We live in an age dominated by guitarists and harmonica soloists dependent on excessive volume. But, Otis Spann’s thundering piano style, with its vibrant expression and articulate attack, represents a vital contribution in the shaping of postwar Chicago blues.