It’s been nearly two years since guitarist/ singer/ songwriter Shuggie Otis last played in New Orleans. That tour earned rave reviews all over the country partially because of his fascinating back story. He appears Saturday night at the Howlin’ Wolf.
Here’s his story in brief. He is the son of the famed bandleader Johnny Otis. He wrote some really compelling songs back in the late 1960s and early 1970s. He famously turned down replacing Mick Taylor in the Rolling Stones, a gig that went to Ron Wood who still sits in the guitar chair next to Keith Richards. The Brothers Johnson took one of his songs, “Strawberry Letter 23,” to the top of the charts back in 1977. You can still hear it on classic rock radio. Then he disappeared for nearly 40 years.
A variety of events created a confluence bringing him back into the public eye in 2012. He toured extensively in 2013 including the show at the House of Blues in October.
I was there. Here are a few of my recollections. He had a three-piece horn section—baritone/flute, tenor and trumpet—along with a killer bass player and decent drummer. His keyboardist also plays a bit of guitar. Shuggie’s voice was not that impressive, but the set was. The crowd was very enthusiastic and he really ripped it up on guitar. June Yamagishi sat in.
Otis is back on tour and reports from other cities indicate he is really back on his game. He is touring with a new, more stripped down, sound featuring a single saxophonist instead of the full horn section and keyboards.
Show time is 10 PM.
