After playing in a variety of swing orchestras, including Lloyd Hunter's Serenaders, he founded his own band in 1945 and had one of the most enduring hits of the big band era, "Harlem Nocturne". This band played with Wynonie Harris and Charles Brown. In 1947 he and Bardu Ali opened the Barrelhouse Club in the Watts district of Los Angeles. He reduced the size of his band and hired singers Mel Walker, Little Esther Phillips and the Robins (who later became the Coasters). He discovered the teenaged Phillips when she won one of the Barrelhouse Club's talent shows. With this band, which toured extensively throughout the United States as the California Rhythm and Blues Caravan, he had a long string of rhythm and blues hits through 1952.
In the late 1940s he discovered Big Jay McNeely, who then performed on his Barrelhouse Stomp. In the 1950s he discovered Etta James, for whom he produced her first hit, Roll With Me, Henry, (also known as The Wallflower). Otis produced the original recording of Hound Dog written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller with vocal by Big Mama Thornton, and was given a writing credit on all six of the 1953 releases of the song. As an artist and repertory man for King Records he also discovered Jackie Wilson, Hank Ballard, and Little Willie John, among others. He also became an influential disk jockey in Los Angeles. However, he continued to perform, and in April 1957 he had a hit with his best-known recording Willie and the Hand Jive. His most famous composition is "Every Beat of My Heart", first recorded by an obscure group in the '50s but which became a huge hit for Gladys Knight.
In the 1960s he entered journalism and politics, losing a campaign for a seat in the California Assembly (one reason for the loss may be that he ran under his much less well known real name). He then became chief of staff for Democratic Congressman Mervyn M. Dymally.
He continued performing through the 1990s and headlined the San Francisco Blues Festival in 2000, although because of his many other interests he went through long periods where he did not perform.
In the 1990's he lived near Sebastopol, California and ran a coffee shop / grocery store / blues club in that hip rural city north of San Francisco.
He was elected to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994.
Otis had a popular radio show on KPFA, called The Johnny Otis Show. This show was aired every Saturday Morning, live from the Powerhouse Brewery in Sebastopol. Listeners were invited to stop in for breakfast and enjoy the show live. Alas, the show's frequency deteriorated along with Johnny's health. When Otis moved to Los Angeles, the show stuttered, then stopped completely and now even the Powerhouse has closed its doors. The last real show was August 19, 2006 and the last with Otis was some time before that.
Otis died on January 17, 2012 at the age of ninety.
Otis, of Greek descent, was the older brother of Nicholas Veliotes, former U.S. Ambassador to Jordan (1978-1981) and to Egypt (1984-1986). He was the father of Shuggie Otis.
Frank Zappa had cited Otis as the inspiration for his distinctive trademark facial hair, stating in an interview conducted by Simpsons creator Matt Groening and Guitar Player magazine editor Don Menn that "it looked good on Johnny Otis, so I grew it."
Castin' My Spell
Johnny Otis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And threw them in a pot-pot (pot-pot, pot-pot-pot)
I took a blue snake, a green stake
And tied them in a knot-knot (knot-knot, knot-knot-knot)
I took a hog jaw, a dog's paw
And hung them on the line-line (line-line, line-line-line)
I took a horse hair, a green pair
And made a crazy sign-sign (sign-sign, sign-sign-sign)
I'm castin' my spell on you
I'm castin' my spell on you
You'll never-never be untrue
I took a ghost tooth, an old shoe
And put them in the ground-ground (ground-ground, ground-ground)
I took an old dish, a dried fish
And made a crazy sound-sound (sound-sound, sound-sound-sound)
I took a goose egg, a frog leg
And hit them in a sack-sack (sack-sack, sack-sack-sack)
I got a hindu to tattoo
A genie on my back-back (back-back, back-back-back)
I'm castin' my spell on you
I'm castin' my spell on you
I'm castin' my spell on you
You'll never-never be untrue, yeah
I took a black cat, a cave bat
And threw them in a pot-pot (pot-pot, pot-pot-pot)
I took a blue snake, a green snake
And tied them in a knot-knot (knot-knot, knot-knot-knot)
I took a hog jaw, a dog's paw
And hung them on the line-line (line-line, line-line-line)
I took a horse hair, a green pair
And made a crazy sign-sign (sign-sign, sign-sign-sign)
I'm castin' my spell on you
I'm castin' my spell on you
I'm castin' my spell on you
You'll never-never be untrue
You'll never-never be untrue
You'll never-never be untrue
You'll never-never be untrue
You'll never-never be untrue
The lyrics to Johnny Otis's "Castin' My Spell" describe an act of voodoo or witchcraft, where the singer takes various sinister ingredients and combines them in a pot, knot, and on a line to cast a spell on someone to ensure their loyalty. The first stanza describes how the singer takes a black cat, cave bat, blue snake, green snake, hog jaw, dog's paw, horse hair, and green pair to create a "crazy sign." In the second stanza, the singer takes ghost tooth, an old shoe, an old dish, dried fish, goose egg, frog leg, and has a genie tattooed on their back by a Hindu to complete their spell. The repetition of the lines "I'm castin' my spell on you / You'll never-never be untrue" reinforces the power dynamic between the spell-caster and their intended target.
The song can be interpreted as a warning against the power of seduction and being lured into a dangerous situation. The use of animal parts and obscure symbols, paired with the repetition of the phrase "I'm castin' my spell on you," conjures up images of dark magic and the idea of someone being under the spell's control. At its core, the song uses the idea of magic to represent the danger of getting caught up in a situation that is beyond your control.
Line by Line Meaning
I took a black cat, a cave bat
And threw them in a pot-pot (pot-pot, pot-pot-pot)
I collected a black cat and a cave bat and put them in a pot, making sure that it looks enchanting and mysterious.
I took a blue snake, a green stake
And tied them in a knot-knot (knot-knot, knot-knot-knot)
I collected a blue snake and a green stake, tied them together in a knot symbolizing a unique bond that cannot be broken.
I took a hog jaw, a dog's paw
And hung them on the line-line (line-line, line-line-line)
I took a hog jaw and a dog's paw and hung them up, symbolizing that there are strange forces at work here.
I took a horse hair, a green pair
And made a crazy sign-sign (sign-sign, sign-sign-sign)
I took a horse's hair and a green pair of something and formed a symbol that is mystifying and puzzling to the onlooker.
I'm castin' my spell on you
I'm castin' my spell on you
I'm castin' my spell on you
You'll never-never be untrue
I'm using all of these strange and mysterious objects to cast a spell on you, a spell that will keep you forever faithful to me and never betray me.
I took a ghost tooth, an old shoe
And put them in the ground-ground (ground-ground, ground-ground)
I took a tooth from a ghost and an old shoe and buried them deep in the ground, symbolizing an ancient, almost primordial ritual.
I took an old dish, a dried fish
And made a crazy sound-sound (sound-sound, sound-sound-sound)
I used an old dish and a dried fish to make a strange and otherworldly sound, conveying the mystical and magical nature of this ritual.
I took a goose egg, a frog leg
And hit them in a sack-sack (sack-sack, sack-sack-sack)
I collected a goose egg and a frog's leg and then hit them together in a sack, creating a strange and earthen noise that is powerful and frightening.
I got a hindu to tattoo
A genie on my back-back (back-back, back-back-back)
I visited a Hindu artist and got them to give me a genie tattoo on my back, giving me a source of mystical power.
You'll never-never be untrue, yeah
With this spell, you'll never betray me or be unfaithful to me, and it will be your choice to stay loyal to me.
Writer(s): Edwin Johnson
Contributed by Jasmine T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@smarty6689
I took a black cat, a cave bat
And threw them in a pot-pot (pot-pot, pot-pot-pot)
I took a blue snake, a green stake
And tied them in a knot-knot (knot-knot, knot-knot-knot)
I took a hog jaw, a dog's paw
And hung them on the line-line (line-line, line-line-line)
I took a horse hair, a green pair
And made a crazy sign-sign (sign-sign, sign-sign-sign)
I'm castin' my spell on you
I'm castin' my spell on you
I'm castin' my spell on you
You'll never-never be untrue
I took a ghost tooth, an old shoe
And put them in the ground-ground (ground-ground, ground-ground)
I took an old dish, a dried fish
And made a crazy sound-sound (sound-sound, sound-sound-sound)
I took a goose egg, a frog leg
And hit them in a sack-sack (sack-sack, sack-sack-sack)
I got a hindu to tattoo
A genie on my back-back (back-back, back-back-back)
I'm castin' my spell on you
I'm castin' my spell on you
I'm castin' my spell on you
You'll never-never be untrue, yeah
@MarleneP
Everyone who hears this song loves it. It's old and yet fresh at the same time.
@raymondgill9796
Mick Green sent me here. After the Pirates played this song in Blackpool Mick said "check out Johnny Otis version" so over 15 years later here I am and its great.
@harmonichebe
rest in peace, the reverend johnny otis-a forgotten man in the story of jazz, r and b, and soul. a great guy and supremely talented and discoverer of talents
@ShakepearesDaughter
Love, love, love this song. Thank you, Johnny Otis!
@4vmax
This guy made some unbelievable awesome music
@TheArtInterviews
I got here because I was readinga part of #5 "Hate" by Petter Bagge and I wanted to know what they were talking about, happy I did
@tdb517
Same story here!
@chihuahuathatderpdog2143
I wanna jam to this song with my weird pair of boots next to a camp fire
@TheShaneCheshire
Here 2020!
@smarty6689
I took a black cat, a cave bat
And threw them in a pot-pot (pot-pot, pot-pot-pot)
I took a blue snake, a green stake
And tied them in a knot-knot (knot-knot, knot-knot-knot)
I took a hog jaw, a dog's paw
And hung them on the line-line (line-line, line-line-line)
I took a horse hair, a green pair
And made a crazy sign-sign (sign-sign, sign-sign-sign)
I'm castin' my spell on you
I'm castin' my spell on you
I'm castin' my spell on you
You'll never-never be untrue
I took a ghost tooth, an old shoe
And put them in the ground-ground (ground-ground, ground-ground)
I took an old dish, a dried fish
And made a crazy sound-sound (sound-sound, sound-sound-sound)
I took a goose egg, a frog leg
And hit them in a sack-sack (sack-sack, sack-sack-sack)
I got a hindu to tattoo
A genie on my back-back (back-back, back-back-back)
I'm castin' my spell on you
I'm castin' my spell on you
I'm castin' my spell on you
You'll never-never be untrue, yeah