Blues musician, born in Philadelphia, Mississippi, USA. A guitarist and singer, he moved to Chicago (1948) and began playing in local clubs (1953). In 1956 his debut recording, I Can't Quit You, Baby, was a major rhythm-and-blues hit, and over the next four years he produced a body of recorded work that is among the greatest in blues history. His playing became inconsistent and his touring schedule sporadic thereafter, but his strong influence on Eric Clapton and other blues-rock musicians helped him maintain a high-profile reputation as a bluesman.
Otis Rush (born April 29, 1934 in Philadelphia, Mississippi) is a blues musician, singer and guitarist.
Career
After moving to Chicago in the early 1950s, Rush made a name for himself playing in clubs on both the South Side and West Side blues scenes.
He recorded several singles on the Chess Records label in the early 1960s and began playing in other cities in the U.S. and Europe. With similar qualities to Luther Allison, Magic Sam, Buddy Guy and Albert King, his sound became known as West Side Chicago blues and became an influence on Michael Bloomfield, Eric Clapton, Peter Green and Stevie Ray Vaughan.
Rush is left-handed and, unlike many left-handed guitarists, plays a right-handed instrument upside-down without restringing it; In 1968, the album Mourning in the Morning was released on Atlantic Records and attracted attention. In 1999 Otis Rush earned a Grammy Award for best traditional blues album for his 1998 release, Any Place I'm Goin'. He suffered a stroke in 2004 but has since recovered, (albeit not to the extent that would allow resuming his career).
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