Otis Clay

Otis Lee Clay (February 11, 1942 – January 8, 2016) was an American R&B and soul singer, who started in gospel music. In 2013, Clay was inducted to the Blues Hall of Fame.

Early life Clay was born in Waxhaw, Mississippi, to a musical family, who moved in 1953 to Muncie, Indiana. After singing with local gospel group, the Voices of Hope, he returned to Mississippi to sing with the Christian Travelers, before settling in Chicago in 1957. There, he joined a series of gospel vocal groups including the Golden Jubilaires, the Famous Blue Jay Singers, the Holy Wonders, and the Pilgrim Harmonizers, before making his first solo secular recordings in 1962.

Career In 1965, Clay signed with One-derful! Records in Chicago, to make secular recordings. After releasing a series of gospel-tinged soul records, his first hit came in 1967 with "That's How It Is (When You're In Love)", In 1968 the record company folded and his contract was bought by Atlantic Records, who launched their subsidiary Cotillion label with Clay's version of the Sir Douglas Quintet hit, "She's About A Mover", produced at the FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals. After several more Hi singles and the album I Can't Take It, Clay moved to Kayvette Records, where he had his last national hit single in 1977, "All Because Of Your Love" (No. 44 R&B).

He remained a popular live act in Europe and Japan, as well as the US, and recorded three live albums, Soul Man: Live in Japan, Otis Clay Live (also in Japan on Victor VDP-5111), and Respect Yourself, recorded live at the Lucerne Blues Festival in Switzerland.

As a resident of Chicago's West Side, he was actively involved in community-based economic and cultural initiatives, including the development of The Harold Washington Cultural Center. Clay's funeral was held on January 16, 2016, at the Liberty Baptist Church in Chicago. After the funeral, he was buried at the Oak Woods Cemetery in Chicago.

Discography Albums Trying to Live My Life Without You (1972) I Can't Take It (1977) Live! (1978) The Only Way Is Up (1982) Live Again! (1984) Soul Man – Live in Japan (1985) reissue of Live Again! Watch Me Now (1989) I'll Treat You Right (1992) On My Way Home (1993) The Gospel Truth (1993) reissue of On My Way Home You Are My Life (1995) This Time Around (1998) Testify! (2003) In The House (2005) AKA Respect Yourself Walk a Mile in My Shoes (2007) Truth Is (2012) Soul Brothers (2014) Otis Clay & Johnny Rawls This Time for Real (2015) Billy Price & Otis Clay Mississippi Poor Boy (2016) Live in Switzerland 2006 (2016)

Singles Year Title Chart positionsUS Hot 100 US Cash Box 1966 "I'm Satisfied" 105 — — 1967 "That's How It Is (When You're in Love)" 131 34 — "A Lasting Love" — 48 — 1968 "She's About a Mover" 97 47 — 1972 "Tryin' to Live My Life Without You" 102 24 70 1977 "All Because of Your Love" — 44 — 1980 "The Only Way Is Up" — — — "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.