Otis Rush

Otis Rush (born April 29, 1934 in Philadelphia, Mississippi) is a blues musician and guitarist. 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. From 1956 to 1959, he recorded for the Cobra label and had hits with "All Your Love I Miss Lovin'" and Willie Dixon's "I Can't Quit You Baby" in 1957.

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April 29 - 1934 - Philadelphia, Mississippi - Blues - Chicago - 1950s - 1956 - 1959 - 1957

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He recorded several singles on the Chess Records label in the early 1960s and began playing in other cities in the US and Europe. His distinctive guitar style features a slow burn sound and long bent notes achieved by pushing the strings across the neck to increase their tension and raise the pitch. With similar, yet unique 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.

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Chess Records - 1960s - Guitar - Luther Allison - Magic Sam - Buddy Guy - Albert King - Michael Bloomfield - Eric Clapton - Peter Green - Stevie Ray Vaughan

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In 1968, the album Moanin' in the Morning was released on Atlantic Records and attracted attention. Signed to Mercury Records in 1976, he remained with the label for twenty years. Rush continued to produce quality recordings and perform live throughout the 1980s and 1990s. In 1999 Otis Rush earned a Grammy Award for best traditional blues album for his 1998 release, Any Place I'm Goin'.

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1968 - Atlantic Records - Mercury Records - 1976 - 1980s - 1990s - 1999 - Grammy Award - 1998

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