Another Living Legend
Otis Rush hails from Philadelphia, the southern version of the city of "brotherly love" down in Mississippi. 14 years after he was born on the 29th of April in 1934 he, too, like so many others from the Delta, made his way to where fame and fortune lay: Chicago.
By the middle of the 1950's he put together his own band starring him as "Little Otis." There, on the West Side, he recorded in the same storefront studios that Willie Dixon used, Cobra; and which a little later on would see Magic Sam and finally, Buddy Guy.
Willie Dixon would back him on bass guitar, and he exhibited his particular interpretation on Dixon's "I Can't Quit You Baby." They developed what was known as the "West Side" sound distinguished from the Delta influenced Chess sound by its unique emotional frenzied lyrics, and high piercing tremolo-laden guitar tonality. Otis' distinctive style was helped by his upside down left hand playing method (a la Jimi Hendrix).
By the time in 1958 he joined Buddy Guy's sessions at Cobra, he was already a name, himself. In this same year he released his pieces, "All Your Love" and "Double Trouble." But in 1960, he too moved on to the desired label, Chess where he continued to further his reputation with songs like: "So Many Roads, So Many Trains" and again at Duke Records with, "Homework."
He did a comeback and first album with the late Mike Bloomfield in 1969, called Mourning in the Morning, which also included guitar work by Duane Allman.
He pretty much languished for the next twenty years, But was reborn in the 80's culminating in a British This Way Up's Album release in 1994, Ain't Enough Comin' and that title says it all for this continuing performer.
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