Shuggie Otis’s father was the R&B pioneer Johnny Otis. Under his old man’s tutelage he began playing guitar when he was two years old. By the time he was 12, he was performing professionally.
While still in school in South Central LA, he appeared on recordings for Al Kooper and Frank Zappa. Before his 16th birthday he had enough songs written to record his debut album, Here Comes Shuggie Otis. BB King hailed him as his favourite new guitarist: high praise from the master.
Another album, Freedom Flight, followed in 1971. The first two records were modestly successful. His father had served as executive producer and he persuaded Columbia Records to build him a home studio to record Inspiration Information. This facility gave rise to the kind of feverish experimentation from which new sonic worlds are formed.
The other major shift was technological. The first commercial drum machine, the Maestro Rhythm King, hit the market in 1971. This revolutionary piece of equipment was more oracle than instrument on the album. Its primitive pulsations and unique analog warmth are the spine of the sound. Atop these rhythmic foundations Shuggie overlays a kaleidoscopic sprawl of celestial sounds.
His spellbinding guitar work and gorgeous falsetto voice shimmer like stardust throughout. The slow, burning grooves have a kind of aquatic fluidity that only the greats can conjure. Everything flows.
Shuggie played and recorded every single note on his magnum opus. It took him three years to complete. His giant creative leap was a step too far for his record company, however. The LP bombed and he was dropped like a stone. His disappearing act was as perfect as his swansong.
