MEMORIAL RESOLUTION CELEBRATING THE LIFE OF OTIS LEE CLAY
WHEREAS, On January 8, 2016, Otis Lee Clay, American R&B and gospel singer, Blues Hall of Fame inductee, and Chicago legend passed away at the age of 73; and
WHEREAS, Otis was bom in Waxhaw, Mississippi to a musical family who moved to Muncie, Indiana in 1953 where he performed with local gospel group, the Voices of Hope; after spending some time back in Mississippi to sing with the Christian Travelers, Otis settled in Chicago in 1957; and
WHEREAS, In the City, Otis joined a series of gospel vocal groups before making his first solo secular recordings in 1962; he later joined the Gospel Songbirds, who recorded in Nashville in 1964; and
WHEREAS, In 1965, Otis signed with One-derful! Records in Chicago to make more secular recordings; after releasing a series of gospel-tinged soul records, his first hit came in 1967 with "That's How It Is (When You're In Love)" which reached #34 on the US Billboard R&B chart; and
WHEREAS, In 1968, Otis' contract was bought by Atlantic Records whose subsidiary Cotillion label released Otis' version ofthe Sir Douglas Quintet hit, "She's About A Mover" which became his biggest pop hit, reaching #97 on the Billboard Hot 100; and
WHEREAS, After multiple hits with other record companies, Otis recorded his fourth album, "The Only Way Is Up" in the early 1980s under his own Echo Records; throughout his musical career he remained a popular live act in Europe, Japan, and the United States and recorded three live albums; and
WHEREAS, In the late 1980s, Otis moved to the Westside of Chicago and later opened KTown cleaners at 4245 W. Cermak Road; he was actively involved in community-based economic and cultural initiatives and was Chairman of the Board of the non-profit, Tobacco Road, Inc., and was heavily involved in the extensive planning, fundraising, and development of The Harold Washington Cultural Center; and
WHEREAS, In 2015, Otis teamed up with Johnny Rawls and released "Soul Brothe...
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