Shuggie Otis

Today Shuggie Otis would be a household name had he accepted the offer extended by The Rolling Stones to fill the shoes of departed guitarist Mick Taylor some forty-odd years ago. Instead, after a run of three albums culminating in his psychedelic soul zenith ‘Inspiration Information’, Otis slipped from the scene…

You never know what to expect with the re-emergence of a legend, and Otis’ performance was flawed, with flashes of brilliance. Sound problems dogged the performance with Otis not even present on the stage for the first five numbers (including ‘Aut Uh Mi Head’ and ‘Inspiration Information’) handing over vocal duties to the keyboard player. Fortunately his band (including his two sons on bass and guitar) were tight and funkin’.

When he did deliver, however, all failings were forgotten, ‘Strawberry Letter 23’ was worth waiting for.

Concorde 2, July 11 2013

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