Clyde Otis

Music producer and songwriter Clyde Otis was born in 1924 in the small rural town of Prentice, Mississippi. Clyde's early exposure to music was very limited (his family didn't even own a radio), although he did begin playing drums in his teenage years. Otis first became involved with music during his stint in the Marines, where he met "Route 66" songwriter Bobby Troup. After being discharged from the Marines, Clyde moved to New York City and worked a series of day jobs for eight years while writing songs at night. He broke into the music business in the mid 50's with the song "That's All There Is to Know," which was a Top 20 pop hit for Nat "King" Cole in 1956. In 1958 Otis got a job as an A&R executive for the Mercury Records in Chicago (he holds the distinction of being the first black A&R executive to work for a major record label). It was during his years at Mercury that Clyde collaborated with singer Brook Benton on a steady succession of hit songs that include "It's Just A Matter