Otis Spann, the first piano player inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame, did more than anyone to define the pianist’s role in postwar Chicago blues. His rock-solid support of Muddy Waters throughout the ’50s and ’60s was superb, and during his last decade Spann was able to record an impressive number of his own albums, which showcased the depth of his blues even more convincingly. Many of Spann’s recordings were made with various configurations of the Muddy Waters band, but among his most memorable sessions were those pairing him with only a guitarist or a drummer. Spann’s rumbling piano and ruminant vocals were sometimes reminiscent of the previous Chicago blues piano king, Big Maceo Merriweather. Ironically, Spann’s only minor hit single, “Hungry Country Girl,” recorded with the Fleetwood Mac band, was not released until after his death from cancer on April 24, 1970. His age was officially listed as 40, based on a March 21, 1930 birthdate that appears in various documents, but many who knew Spann thought him to be considerably older. (Bio adapted from an entry in the All Music Guide.)
— Jim O’Neal
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