{"title":"Shuggie Otis","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eShuggie Otis is an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, born in Los Angeles on November 30, 1953. He is widely recognized as the oldest son of Johnny Otis, a renowned musician.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWith his unique blend of soul, funk, and R\u0026amp;B, Shuggie has captivated audiences around the world. His music draws inspiration from various genres and artists such as Cymande, Darondo, Betty Davis, and Curtis Mayfield.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eKnown for his exceptional talent as a guitarist and songwriter, Shuggie's discography includes timeless classics like \"Strawberry Letter 23\" and \"Inspiration Information.\" His influential sound continues to inspire generations of musicians today.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"inspiration-information-wings-of-love","title":"Inspiration Information \/ Wings of Love","description":"\u003cp\u003eBrand new double deluxe Legacy reissue comprising the original 1974 \u003ci\u003eInspiration Informational\u003c\/i\u003e release in full, with 4 additional and previously unreleased bonus tracks. \u003ci\u003eWings Of Love\u003c\/i\u003e is the other album, containing 14 previously unreleased tracks recorded between 1974-2000. Like Stevie Wonder and Allen Toussaint before him - and Prince and D'angelo afterward - Shuggie Otis was a musical visionary whose early 1970s recordings showed he could do it all, writing, arranging, performing, and producing some of the decade's most satisfying, innovative, and, unfortunately, overlooked music. 1974's \u003ci\u003eInspiration Information\u003c\/i\u003e album was a soulful song cycle that took three years to create and was worth every minute - ranges from early drum machine-driven experiments like xl-30 and \u003ci\u003eaht uh mi hed\u003c\/i\u003e (note the Sly Stone spelling influence) to Otis's most stunning pop confection ever, \u003ci\u003eStrawberry Letter 23\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Sony","offers":[{"title":"CD | x2","offer_id":50457620447563,"sku":"361567","price":8.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/3c85846f-e5a9-4bc6-b863-ef66d26e4fe5_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727206949"},{"product_id":"here-comes-shuggie-otis","title":"Here Comes Shuggie Otis","description":"\u003cp\u003e1971's \u003ci\u003eHere Comes Shuggie Otis\u003c\/i\u003e was the debut album by the guitarist and songwriter, issued by Columbia, when Shuggie was only 18. Produced and arranged by his father, R\u0026amp;B legend Johnny Otis, the set features nine original cuts co-written by the pair, and in some cases others, and one written by Johnny with Dan Aldrich. The album is evenly divided between vocal tunes and instrumentals. The cast for these sessions included Johnny, Wilton Felder, Stix Hooper, bassist Al McKibbon, Preston Love, Jackie Kelso, Plas Johnson, and a string section. \"Oxford Gray,\" the album's opener, is an instrumental written by Johnny, Shuggie, Felder, and Hooper. Unlike anything that ever came before it, it's a baroque blues tune that features Shuggie playing both electric and acoustic bottleneck slide, a harpsichord, strings, and a groovy little backbeat that walks the edge of blues and funk. It feels like a suite because of its many composed sections, but Shuggie's guitar is pure improvisational poetry. This is followed by the beautiful, psychedelic pop of \"Jennie Lee.\" Shuggie's vocals weren't quite there, and were still somewhat tentative, but his gorgeous, Albert King-inflected guitar solo is right in the pocket, and stands in wonderful contrast to his acoustic string in the verses. The horns are restrained and regal, and the textural palette of the cut is lush and spacious. There is plenty of rootsy playing here too, such as on \"Bootie Cooler,\" a Stax-styled blues groove, and the name-dropping shimmy and shake of \"Shuggie's Boogie,\" the wig-tightening funk of \"Hurricane,\" and the reverentially gritty \"Gospel Groove.\" It closes with a modern soul rocker called \"Baby I Needed You,\" with a killer hook in the refrain even if Shuggie's vocal doesn't quite pull it all off. Here Comes Shuggie Otis stands the test of time over 30 years later, and stands as a hallmark of songwriting, improvisation, and production acumen.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Music On Vinyl","offers":[{"title":"Orange | LP","offer_id":50460366242123,"sku":"1153985","price":29.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"LP","offer_id":50460364570955,"sku":"314663","price":18.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/5611b419-36c1-449d-a9e2-3a4c7a8e3298_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727231233"},{"product_id":"inspiration-information-4","title":"Inspiration Information","description":"Psychedelic soul made with total creative freedom. \u003cb\u003eShuggie Otis\u003c\/b\u003e blends dreamy production, funk grooves and effortless musicianship into a cult classic that grows richer over time.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eHuw, Rough Trade Warehouse\u003c\/b\u003e","brand":"Music On Vinyl","offers":[{"title":"Yellow | LP","offer_id":50467288678731,"sku":"1067189","price":25.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"LP - Black","offer_id":50467290480971,"sku":"295042","price":27.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"Silver LP","offer_id":50467290087755,"sku":"1161432","price":29.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/Inspiration_Information_6bc14093_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727336750"},{"product_id":"introducing-4","title":"Introducing","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eIntroducing Shuggie Otis \u003c\/i\u003eis a collection of some of the best songs from his first three albums:\u003ci\u003e Here Comes Shuggie Otis\u003c\/i\u003e (1970 - when he was still 14 years old), \u003ci\u003eFreedom Flight\u003c\/i\u003e (1971) and\u003ci\u003e Inspiration Information\u003c\/i\u003e (1974).\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Music On Vinyl","offers":[{"title":"LP - Red","offer_id":50483938591051,"sku":"2025018","price":32.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"LP","offer_id":50483938263371,"sku":"361322","price":19.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/a3701ed7-4c20-4146-9ef6-6b7ade202946_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727576740"},{"product_id":"the-very-best-of-1969-1974","title":"The Very Best Of 1969-1974","description":"\u003cp\u003eA fine compilation of ​18 tracks from his Epic label albums ; 'Freedom Flight' 'Inspiration Information' 'Shuggie's Boogie..' and 'Here Comes..'\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"No Label","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":50508633112907,"sku":"381269","price":6.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/92c567ef-8db5-432f-89ff-c7aa1461ac7b_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727860634"},{"product_id":"freedom-flight","title":"Freedom Flight","description":"\u003cp\u003eWell before Shuggie Otis cut his debut album, musicianship and performance had long been a part of his life. The son of rhythm and blues legend Johnny Otis, Shuggie learned to play guitar as early as the age of two, and performed professionally with his father's band at eleven. Throughout his long and illustrious career he'd performed on records for the likes of Frank Zappa, Al Kooper, Etta James, and George Duke, to name a few. In spite of all this, widespread mainstream success eluded Shuggie for much of his career. His most famous release to date is his 1974 album Inspiration\/Information, which would experience new resurgent life in the 2000s.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThose willing to dig a little deeper however, would discover hidden gold in his earlier releases, especially in the album directly before Inspiration\/Information, his sophomore 1971 release \u003ci\u003eFreedom Flight\u003c\/i\u003e. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAs with his debut, \u003ci\u003eFreedom Flight\u003c\/i\u003e was produced by Shuggie's father Johnny Otis, and built upon the distinct sounds of his debut album: lush, baroque, string section arrangements, paired with hard funk rhythms, and funky blues melodies, with the majority of the instruments once again performed by Shuggie himself. The album also features backing from premium session greats like George Duke and Aynsley Dunbar, and the track \"Strawberry Letter 23\" which became a monster hit for The Brothers Johnson 3 years later. \u003ci\u003eFreedom Flight\u003c\/i\u003e is a treasure of deft, technical skill, and virtuosic composition.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Music On Vinyl","offers":[{"title":"LP - Purple","offer_id":51246078525771,"sku":"314664","price":34.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"LP - Black","offer_id":56215034429771,"sku":"R7780-8087","price":34.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/62ee1072-cb10-4a77-9380-f282b01fde24_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1739231730"}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/collections\/test_8ec1d4cd_thumbnail_4096_bcf2ef8d-4f45-4593-9501-3488109aad69.jpg?v=1727206927","url":"https:\/\/shop.roughtrade.com\/collections\/shuggie-otis.oembed","provider":"Rough Trade","version":"1.0","type":"link"}