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Celestial Soulman Shuggie Otis Continues Comeback – The Austin Chronicle
“My first experience being around musicians happened at my own house with my father’s band,” recalls Shuggie Otis, born Johnny Alexander Veliotes Jr. “I was probably about 3 or 4 years old and they would rehearse every weekend. They’d play R&B, rock & roll, and blues. Rock & roll had just come out then. They were some of the first ones to do it.
…Otis swears his guitar chops have never been better and he gets giddy talking about a forthcoming album of new material on Cleopatra Records.
“I feel a spiritual connection for doing this music where, when I was younger, I would deny sharing any sort of personal experience that would be emotional at all. I was too insecure. I had a lot of hang-ups. I think I’m on a better path now, and every day you learn something new.
Read more at The Austin Chronicle.
Photo by Sandy Carson
Shuggie Otis New Interview By The Houston Press
At 61, Shuggie Otis is still restless and still inspired. Otis, who comes to the Continental Club Friday night, is experiencing a resurgence of his career with a new record deal with Los Angeles’ Cleopatra Records, and he is embarking on an extended tour that will see him pretty much cover the nation in the next two months.
“Man, I’ve got this great new band and I’m so excited to be back playing live,” says Otis from his L.A. home. “We’ve done three gigs so far, and people seem to love it.”
…”I love to travel, and in my early career a lot of times conditions just weren’t right for me to do a lot of touring on my own,” he said. “I’ve played for the door, taken my chances, but I didn’t always necessarily have the chance to play the way I wanted to. But now Universal Attractions has taken an interest in me and they’ve put together a really nice month-long tour of the States with good venues, good stages, and I’m honestly just very happy and excited. I really love it. If this goes well, we’ll probably do a European tour later this year.”
Read more at the Houston Press.
Photo by Arnie Goodman/Courtesy of Glass Onyon PR
Shuggie Otis Adds More North American Tour Dates
Shuggie Otis has announced five more North American tour dates! The new shows will take place in late July through August as he visits cities in the United States and Canada. Visit the Shuggie Otis Events page for all the concert dates.
Shuggie Otis Announces New U.S. Concert Dates
Shuggie Otis has been making a well-deserved comeback, touring since the 2013 release of Inspiration Information/Wings Of Love. His show at Music Hall of Williamsburg in April 2013 was recorded, and this past fall he released those recordings as his first-ever live album, Live in Williamsburg, on Cleopatra Records.
Shuggie’s heading back out on the road this year. Visit the Shuggie Otis Events page for concert dates and read more at Brooklyn Vegan.