In this hour of The Blues & Beyond, we remember two greats, whose lives and carrers actually intersected, Etta James who died on January 20th at age 73, and Johnny Otis, who died at age 90 three days earlier on January 17th. Etta James, one of the greatest R&B singers of all time, was discovered by Otis in the early 1950s. He produced her first hit, a record considered too risque for radio called "Roll With Me Henry" an answer song to Hank Ballard's banned "Work With Me Annie." Otis and James retitled it "The Wallflower" of all things and managed to get it on the radio, and also to reach #1 on the Billboard R&B charts. Etta James went on to a troubled but successful career. Johnny Otis did everything in music, played, led bands, wrote, produced, scouted talent, owned a label... We'll only scratch the surface, but at least we'll manage to do that, in this hour of The Blues & Beyond.

promo included: promo291

In this hour of The Blues & Beyond, we remember two greats, whose lives and carrers actually intersected, Etta James who died on January 20th at age 73, and Johnny Otis, who died at age 90 three days earlier on January 17th. Etta James, one of the greatest R&B singers of all time, was discovered by Otis in the early 1950s. He produced her first hit, a record considered too risque for radio called "Roll With Me Henry" an answer song to Hank Ballard's banned "Work With Me Annie." Otis and James retitled it "The Wallflower" of all things and managed to get it on the radio, and also to reach #1 on the Billboard R&B charts. Etta James went on to a troubled but successful career. Johnny Otis did everything in music, played, led bands, wrote, produced, scouted talent, owned a label... We'll only scratch the surface, but at least we'll manage to do that, in this hour of The Blues & Beyond.

promo included: promo291