Etta James And Johnny Otis, The Man Who Discovered Her, Pass Away

Legend Etta James passed away Friday at 73. The man who discovered her, R&B pioneer Johnny Otis died three days prior. Listen to exclusive radio shows dedicated to both…

Legend Etta James died Friday following a long battle with leukemia and other health complications. She was 73 years old.

James first hit the charts as a teenager with the 1955 #1 R&B hit The Wallflower. Her career took off after signing with Chicago’s Chess Records, which found her a wider audience.

Best known for the international hit At Last, James continued to work as long as illness would allow, releasing her final album The Dreamer in November.

James battle drug addictions throughout her career, and a legal tussle over her estate also brought unwelcome attention from the press.

Johnny Otis with son Shuggie Otis.

Johnny Otis was born Ioannis Veliotes – a child of Greek immigrants – in Northern California and was known as “The Godfather of Rhythm and Blues” for his work as a performer, DJ, and producer.

Otis, who discovered Etta James, Jackie Wilson, Hank Ballard among others, passed away January 17 at the age of 90.

In the studio, Otis made his mark by producing the original version of Hound Dog, performed by Big Mama Thornton, and by writing and singing Willie and the Hand Jive, among other hits.

Our sister site, TheBluesMobile.com is the online home of The House of Blues Radio Hour, hosted by Dan Aykroyd in the Elwood character. We dug into the archives for two special shows dedicated to Etta and Otis.

Take a listen to learn more about the contributions of these greats…