Otis Spann (March 21, 1930 – April 24, 1970) was an American blues musician… Read Full Bio ↴Otis Spann (March 21, 1930 – April 24, 1970) was an American blues musician whom many consider to be the leading postwar Chicago blues pianist.

Born in Jackson, Mississippi, United States, Spann became known for his distinct piano style.
Born to Frank Houston Spann and Josephine Erby. One of five children - three boys and two girls. His father played piano, non professionally, while his mother had played guitar with Memphis Minnie.[citation needed] Spann began playing piano by age of eight, influenced by his local ivories stalwart, Friday Ford. At the age of 14, he was playing in bands around Jackson, finding more inspiration in the 78s of Big Maceo Merriweather, who took the young pianist under his wing once Spann migrated to Chicago in 1946. Other sources say that he moved to Chicago when his mother died in 1947 playing the Chicago club circuit and working as a plasterer. Spann gigged on his own, and with guitarist Morris Pejoe, working a regular spot at the Tic Toc Lounge before hooking up with Muddy Waters in 1952.
Although he recorded periodically as a solo artist, Spann was a full-time member of the Muddy Waters band from 1952 to 1968. In that period he also did session work with other Chess artists like Howlin' Wolf and Bo Diddley.
Spann's own Chess Records output was limited to a 1954 single, "It Must Have Been the Devil" / "Five Spot", which featured B.B. King and Jody Williams on guitars. He recorded a session with the guitarist Robert Lockwood, Jr. and vocalist St. Louis Jimmy in New York on August 23, 1960, which was issued on Otis Spann Is The Blues and Walking The Blues. A largely solo outing for Storyville Records in 1963 was recorded in Copenhagen. A set for UK Decca Records the following year found him in the company of Muddy Waters and Eric Clapton, and a 1964 album for Prestige followed where Spann shared vocal duties with bandmate James Cotton.
The Blues is Where It's At, Spann's 1966 album for ABC-Bluesway, sounded like a live recording. It was a recording studio date, enlivened by enthusiastic onlookers that applauded every song (Muddy Waters, guitarist Sammy Lawhorn, and George "Harmonica" Smith were among the support crew). A Bluesway encore, The Bottom of the Blues followed in 1967 and featured Spann's wife, Lucille Jenkins Spann (June 23, 1938 – August 2, 1994[5]), helping out on vocals.
In the late 1960s, he appeared on albums with Buddy Guy, Big Mama Thornton, Peter Green and Fleetwood Mac.
Several films of his playing are available on DVD, including the Newport Folk Festival (1960), while his singing is also featured on the American Folk Blues Festival (1963) and The Blues Masters (1966).

Following his death from liver cancer in Chicago in 1970, at the age of 40, he was interred in the Burr Oak Cemetery, Alsip, Illinois. Spann's grave laid unmarked for almost thirty years, until Steve Salter (president of the Killer Blues Headstone Project) wrote a letter to Blues Revue magazine to say "This piano great is lying in an unmarked grave. Let's do something about this deplorable situation". This lit a spark in the blues community on a world wide level. Blues enthusiasts from Alaska to Venezuela, from Surrey to England, and Singapore sent donations to purchase Spann a headstone. On June 6, 1999 the marker was unveiled during a private ceremony. The stone reads "Otis played the deepest blues we ever heard - He'll play forever in our hearts".
He was posthumously elected to the Blues Hall of Fame in 1980.

Must Have Been The Devil
Otis Spann Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Well it must have been the devil
You know it must have been the devil, baby
You know it had to be the devil
You know it must have been the devil, baby
You know it must have been the devil
Changing my baby's mind

Well you know I heard a mighty rumbling

You know I heard a mighty rumbling, baby
You know I heard a mighty rumbling, baby
You know I heard a mighty rumbling
You know I heard a mighty rumbling deep down in the ground

You know it sound like my baby
You know it sound like my baby
You know it sound just like my baby
You know it sound like my baby
You know it must have been the devil turning my baby 'round

Well you know I cut your kindling
Little girl, I cut your kindling
You know I cut your kindling, momma

You know I gut your kindling, baby
Well you know I cut your kindling

Overall Meaning

The song "Must Have Been The Devil" by Otis Spann is a blues classic that speaks to the struggle of losing a loved one to temptation and the devil's influence. The repetition of "must have been the devil" throughout the song serves as a powerful reminder that sometimes, even when we think we have control over our lives, there are forces beyond our control at play.

The first verse implies that the devil has taken over and is "changing my baby's mind." This can be interpreted in many ways, but it likely refers to a lover who has been tempted away by someone or something else. The second verse describes a rumbling deep down in the ground that sounds like the singer's baby. This could be seen as a metaphor for the inner turmoil and struggle that the lover is experiencing before succumbing to temptation. The third verse describes the singer cutting kindling, which could be interpreted as an attempt to distract himself from the pain of losing his lover.

Overall, the song explores the theme of temptation and the power of the devil to corrupt even the strongest of wills. The repetition of the lyrics and the powerful blues melody create a haunting and unforgettable emotional experience.

Line by Line Meaning

Well it must have been the devil
The singer believes that something must have been the work of the devil.

You know it must have been the devil, baby
The singer is confident that the cause of their troubles was the devil.

You know it had to be the devil
The singer believes that there was no other explanation for their situation other than the devil.

You know it must have been the devil, baby
The artist is confident that the cause of their troubles was the devil.

You know it must have been the devil
The artist believes that something must have been the work of the devil.

Changing my baby's mind
The devil caused the singer's baby to change their mind, possibly in a negative way.

Well you know I heard a mighty rumbling
The singer heard a loud, ominous noise.

You know I heard a mighty rumbling, baby
The artist is sure that they heard an unsettling sound.

You know I heard a mighty rumbling
The artist heard a loud, ominous noise.

You know I heard a mighty rumbling deep down in the ground
The noise the singer heard seemed to come from beneath the surface of the earth.

You know it sound like my baby
The noise the artist heard sounded like their baby in some way.

You know it sound like my baby
The noise the singer heard sounded like their baby in some way.

You know it sound just like my baby
The noise the singer heard closely resembled their baby's voice.

You know it sound like my baby
The noise the singer heard sounded like their baby in some way.

You know it must have been the devil turning my baby 'round
The artist believes that the devil was responsible for causing their baby to change in a negative way.

Well you know I cut your kindling
The artist cut some wood for a fire.

Little girl, I cut your kindling
The singer is addressing someone they are familiar with and telling them that they cut wood for a fire.

You know I cut your kindling, momma
The singer is addressing someone they are familiar with and telling them that they cut wood for a fire.

You know I gut your kindling, baby
The artist is addressing someone they are familiar with and telling them that they cut wood for a fire.

Well you know I cut your kindling
The artist cut some wood for a fire.

Contributed by Noah C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS