His distinctive guitar style featured a slow-burning sound and long bent notes. With qualities similar to the styles of Magic Sam and Buddy Guy, his sound became known as West Side Chicago blues and was an influence on many musicians, including
Michael Bloomfield, Peter Green and Eric Clapton.
Otis Rush, the son of Julia Campbell Boyd and O. C. Rush, was born near Philadelphia, Mississippi, in 1934. (or 1935?).
Rush moved to Chicago, Illinois, in 1948, and made a name for himself playing in blues clubs on the South Side and the West Side of the city.
From 1956 to 1958, he recorded for Cobra Records and released eight singles, some featuring Ike Turner or Jody Williams on guitar. His first single, "I Can't Quit You Baby", in 1956 reached number 6 on the Billboard R&B chart. During his tenure with Cobra, he recorded some of his best-known songs, such as "Double Trouble" and "All Your Love (I Miss Loving)."
Cobra Records went bankrupt in 1959, and Rush signed a recording contract with Chess Records in 1960. He recorded eight tracks for the label, four of which were released on two singles that year. Six tracks, including the two singles, were later included on the album Door to Door in 1969, a compilation also featuring Chess recordings by Albert King. Rush went into the studio for Duke Records in 1962, but only one single, "Homework" backed with "I Have to Laugh", was issued by the label. It was also released in Great Britain as Vocalion VP9260 in 1963. In 1965, he recorded for Vanguard; these recordings are included on the label's compilation album Chicago/The Blues/Today! Vol. 2. Rush began playing in other cities in the United States and in Europe during the 1960s, notably with the American Folk Blues Festival. In 1969, his album Mourning in the Morning was released by Cotillion Records. Recorded at the FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, the album was produced by Michael Bloomfield and Nick Gravenites (then of the band Electric Flag). The sound incorporated soul music and rock, a new direction for Rush.
In 1971, Rush recorded the album Right Place, Wrong Time in San Francisco for Capitol Records, but Capitol did not release it. The album was finally issued in 1976, when Rush purchased the master from Capitol and had it released by P-Vine Records in Japan. Bullfrog Records released it in the United States soon after. The album has since gained a reputation as one of his best works . He also released some albums for Delmark Records and for Sonet Records in Europe during the 1970s, but by the end of the decade he had stopped performing and recording.
Rush made a comeback in 1985 with a U.S. tour and the release of a live album, Tops, recorded at the San Francisco Blues Festival.
He released Ain't Enough Comin' In in 1994, his first studio album in 16 years. Any Place I'm Goin' followed in 1998, and he earned his first Grammy Award for Best Traditional Blues Album in 1999. Rush did not record a new studio album after 1998 but he continued to tour and perform until 2003, when he suffered a stroke. In 2002, he was featured on the Bo Diddley tribute album Hey Bo Diddley – A Tribute!, performing the song "I'm a Man", produced by Carla Olson. Rush's 2006 album Live...and in Concert from San Francisco, a live recording from 1999, was released by Blues Express Records. Video footage of the same show was released on the DVD Live Part 1 in 2003.
In June 2016, Rush made a rare appearance at the Chicago Blues Festival in Grant Park. Chicago Mayor Rahm Emmanuel honored Rush's appearance by declaring June 12 to be Otis Rush Day in Chicago. Due to his ongoing health problems Rush was unable to play, but celebrated on the sidelines with his family who stood around him.
Awards
Rush was elected to the Blues Hall of Fame in 1984.
In 2015, Rolling Stone ranked Rush number 53 on its 100 Greatest Guitarists list.
The Jazz Foundation of America honored Rush with a Lifetime Achievement Award on April 20, 2018 "for a lifetime of genius and leaving an indelible mark in the world of blues and the universal language of music."
His death on September 29, 2018, from complications arising from his stroke in 2003, was announced on his website by his wife Masaki.
Selected discography
Singles
1956 "I Can't Quit You Baby" / "Sit Down Baby" (Cobra 5000)
1956 "My Love Will Never Die" / "Violent Love" (Cobra 5005)
1957 "Groaning the Blues" / "If You Were Mine" (Cobra 5010)
1957 "Jump Sister Bessie" / "Love That Woman" (Cobra 5015)
1957 "She's a Good 'Un" / "Three Times a Fool" (Cobra 5023)
1958 "Checking on My Baby" / "It Takes Time" (Cobra 5027)
1958 "Double Trouble" / "Keep On Loving Me Baby" (Cobra 5030)
1958 "All Your Love (I Miss Loving)" / "My Baby's a Good 'Un" (Cobra 5032)
1960 "So Many Roads So Many Trains" / "I'm Satisfied" (Chess 1751)
1960 "You Know My Love" / "I Can't Stop Baby" (Chess 1775)
1962 "Homework" / "I Have to Laugh" (Duke 356)
1969 "Gambler's Blues" / "You're Killing My Love" (Cotillion 44032)
Original albums
1968 This One's a Good One (Blue Horizon)
1969 Mourning in the Morning (Cotillion)
1972 Blues Masters, Vol. 2
1974 Screamin' and Cryin' (Black & Blue)
1975 Cold Day in Hell (Delmark)
1976 So Many Roads (Delmark)
1976 Right Place, Wrong Time (Bullfrog)
1978 Troubles Troubles (Sonet)
1988 Tops (Blind Pig)
1989 Blues Interaction – Live in Japan 1986 (P-Vine)
1991 Lost in the Blues (Alligator ALCD4797)
1993 Live in Europe (Evidence Music ECD)
1994 Ain't Enough Comin' In (This Way Up/Mercury)
1998 Any Place I'm Going (House of Blues)
2006 Live...and in Concert from San Francisco (Blues Express)
2009 Chicago Blues Festival 2001 (P-Vine)
2015 Double Trouble LIVE Cambridge 1973 (RockBeat Records)
Compilation albums
1969 Door to Door, with Albert King (Chess)
1989 I Can't Quit You Baby: The Cobra Sessions 1956–1958 (P-Vine)
2000 Good 'Uns: The Classic Cobra Recordings 1956–1958 (Westside)
2000 The Essential Otis Rush: The Classic Cobra Recordings 1956–1958 (Fuel 2000)
2002 Blue on Blues: Buddy Guy & Otis Rush (Fuel 2000)
2005 All Your Love I Miss Loving: Live at the Wise Fools Pub, Chicago (Delmark)
2006 Live at Montreux 1986 (Eagle Rock Entertainment) (joint performance with Eric Clapton and Luther Allison)
2015 Double Trouble: Live Cambridge 1973 (Rockbeat Records ROCCD 3220)
DVDs
2003 Live Part One (Blues Express)
2006 Live at Montreux 1986 (Eagle Rock Entertainment)[
So Many Roads
Otis Rush Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
So many roads, so many trains to ride
I've got to find my baby, 'fore I'll be satisfied
I was standin' by my window, when I heard that whistle blow
I was standin' by my window, when I heard that whistle blow
You know I thought it was a Streamline... but it was a B & O
It was a mean ol' fireman and a cruel ol' engineer
It was a mean ol' fireman and a cruel ol' engineer
The first stanza of Otis Rush's song "So Many Roads" speaks to the confusion, uncertainty, and the despair that comes with being lost and searching for a way out. Rush talks about the availability of options and opportunities through the vivid imagery of roads and trains. However, despite the abundance of opportunities, he still feels unfulfilled and incomplete. "I've got to find my baby, 'fore I'll be satisfied" highlights the fact that there is something he deeply cherishes, a person, and the only thing that can fill the void is to find them.
The second stanza shows the moment when Rush realizes that he could not keep up with the fast-changing world. He is trying to grasp the sounds he hears outside his window, and he thinks it's a streamlined train, which was the supreme symbol of speed, luxury, and modernity in the 40s and 50s. It ends up being a Baltimore & Ohio (B&O) train, which was slower than the streamliners. This imagery captures the idea that Rush feels he is losing grip and struggling to keep up with the progress around him. He then finds out that his loved one has left with the mean and cruel people who run the train, instilling the feelings of betrayal and abandonment.
Overall, "So Many Roads" is a somber song that explores the themes of searching for oneself, losing touch with the world around us and the sense of losing what we cherish the most.
Line by Line Meaning
So many roads, so many trains to ride
There are many paths and opportunities in life, many of which I have yet to explore.
I've got to find my baby, 'fore I'll be satisfied
In order to find contentment and fulfillment, I must locate my loved one who has been lost or taken from me.
I was standin' by my window, when I heard that whistle blow
I was going about my own business when I heard the signal that my transportation was about to arrive.
You know I thought it was a Streamline... but it was a B & O
I mistook one train for another due to my eagerness to leave and begin my journey.
It was a mean ol' fireman and a cruel ol' engineer
The individuals working on this train were unpleasant and caused harm to my loved ones.
That took away my baby and left me standin' here
As a result of the actions of those working the train, my loved one was taken from me, and now I am left alone and heartbroken.
Contributed by Isaac F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Benjamin Kerstein
My favorite blues song with maybe the best one chorus blues guitar solo ever played. Just perfect.
TJ
agreed!! I met Otis in NYC in 86 at Tramps, couldn't be more of a gentleman.. met his wife, she didn't speak a word of english, she's japanese. Was a thrill just talking to him one on one at my table b4 the show began - no one else even noticed him come thru the front door, his bus broke down, he was pissed, but cool w/ me. RIP.
Robert Bond
The horns, ringing guitar and superb vocal all combine to make a very convincing howl of pain. Deservedly well into my blues top ten.
Willie Salomon
The piano is worth mentioning too...
Reception J. L. R. O'Donnell
Absolutely !!
Ian Swift
I first heard this in Leicester in '67 after smoking some good black hash and that solo nearly cut my head in half it's so good.
raybede
One of my inspirations to play blues guitar was when I heard this number in the 60s played by the great man. RIP and so many thanks.
Gilliganfrog
Epic. And I've been feeling this pain for two years, without checking in on the song. The catharsis is like the lancing of an infected wound.
Terence Allen
One of my all-time favorite blues songs, and my favorite Otis Rush song.
Willie Salomon
same here!