ABBA

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.

Cal Smith recordings

For My Baby (Brook Benton/Clyde Otis)

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