American singer-songwriter and producer (died 2012)

Johnny Otis

Johnny Otis, born Ioannis Alexandres Veliotes, was an American singer, musician, composer, bandleader, record producer, talent scout, and preacher. He was a seminal influence on American R&B and rock and roll. He discovered numerous artists early in their careers who went on to become highly successful in their own right, including Little Esther Phillips, Etta James, Alan O'Day, Big Mama Thornton, Johnny Ace, Jackie Wilson, Little Willie John, Hank Ballard, and The Robins, Sugar Pie DeSanto, among many others. Otis has been called the "Godfather of Rhythm and Blues".

Born

1921

December 28

Died

2012

Era

1920s

Country

—

About

Johnny, in brief

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Life timeline

Key dates

1921 Born
2012 Died

Also on December 28

What else happened on this day, through history

418 A papal election begins, resulting in the election of Pope Boniface I.
457 Majorian is acclaimed as Western Roman emperor.
484 Alaric II succeeds his father Euric and becomes king of the Visigoths. He establishes his capital at Aire-sur-l'Adour (Southern Gaul).
893 An earthquake destroys the city of Dvin, Armenia.

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The world in 1921

When Johnny arrived

april 11 Emir Abdullah establishes the first centralised government in the newly created British protectorate of Transjordan.
april 2 The Autonomous Government of Khorasan, a military government encompassing the modern state of Iran, is established.
august 14 Tannu Uriankhai, later Tuvan People's Republic is established as a completely independent country (which is supported by Soviet Russia).
august 23 British airship R-38 experiences structural failure over Hull in England and crashes in the Humber Estuary; of her 49 British and American training crew, only four survive.

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Same-day contemporaries

Also born on December 28

Alex Chilton 1950–2010 American singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 2010) David Moss 1981– American ice hockey player George FitzRoy 1665–1716 1st Duke of Northumberland, English general and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Berkshire (died 1716) John Legend 1978– American singer-songwriter, pianist, and actor John von Neumann 1903–1957 Hungarian-American mathematician and physicist (died 1957) Maggie Smith 1934–2024 English actress (died 2024) Martha Wash 1953– American singer-songwriter Noomi Rapace 1979– Swedish actress Steve Van Buren 1920– Honduran-American football player (died 2012)

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Same-year contemporaries

Also born in 1921

Ágnes Keleti 1921–2025 Hungarian Olympic gymnast (born 1921) Alexander Dubček 1921–1992 Slovak soldier and politician (died 1992) Art Clokey 1921–2010 American animator, director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1921) Bill Willis 1921–2007 American football player and coach (born 1921) Brian Moore 1921–1999 Northern Irish-Canadian author and screenwriter (died 1999) Esther Williams 1921–2013 American swimmer and actress (died 2013) Ezzard Charles 1921–1975 American boxer (died 1975) Franciszek Blachnicki 1921–1987 Polish priest (born 1921) Franco Corelli 1921–2003 Italian tenor and actor (died 2003)

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More to explore

Johnny's birthday December 28 Johnny's zodiac Capricorn When Johnny arrived 1921