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.

My Love Depends on You
Otis Spann Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Play me the blues now, baby...

Lord have mercy baby, Lord have mercy on me

I can't find my baby, I want to know where she can be
Anybody seen my baby, just send her on back to me

Overall Meaning

In Otis Spann's bluesy song "My Love Depends on You," the singer portrays the feelings of exhaustion and dependence on his lover. He confesses to feeling tired and helpless, unsure of what to do next as he relies solely on his partner's love for him. Spann's voice reflects the weariness and emotional turmoil that come with the intense feelings of love, making his lyrics all the more relatable to anyone who has ever experienced the ups and downs of a passionate romance.

The singer pleads with his lover not to feel sorry for him, even though he cannot help himself due to the overpowering intensity of his emotions. He expresses his unwavering commitment to his partner, asserting that his love for her is exclusive, and he does not want anybody else. The song's soulful melody and Spann's masterful piano playing further highlight the depth of his emotions as he sings, "Lord have mercy on me; I can't find my baby, I want to know where she can be. Anybody seen my baby, just send her on back to me."

Line by Line Meaning

Well I'm tired now baby, baby I don't know what to do
I am exhausted and at a loss for what to do next, my dear.

Yes you know I'm tired now baby, little girl I don't know what to do
You are aware that I am fatigued and bewildered, my sweet.

Now all of my love baby, all of my love depends on you
The entirety of my affection is at your mercy, my love.

Don't feel sorry for me baby, God knows I can't help myself
Do not pity me, my dear, for even the almighty knows I cannot change my circumstances.

Don't feel sorry for me baby, Lord knows I can't help myself
Please do not have sympathy for me, for it is clear that even God recognizes my inability to act differently.

You know I told you that I love you woman, and you know I don't want nobody else
It is no secret that I have proclaimed my love for you, and my heart desires no other companion.

Play me the blues now, baby...
Perform a blues melody for me, my dear...

Lord have mercy baby, Lord have mercy on me
My God, have compassion on me, dear one.

I can't find my baby, I want to know where she can be
I cannot locate my significant other, and my longing to uncover her whereabouts is intense.

Anybody seen my baby, just send her on back to me
Has anyone caught sight of my partner? Please, send her back to me without delay.

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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

goldenageindigo

4y↑4

Well I'm tired now baby, baby I don't know what to do
Yes you know I'm tired now baby, little girl I don't know what to do
Now all of my love baby, all of my love depends on you
Don't feel sorry for me baby, God knows I can't help myself
Don't feel sorry for me baby, Lord knows I can't help myself
You know I told you that I love you woman, and you know I don't want nobody else
Play me the blues now, baby...
Lord have mercy baby, Lord have mercy on me
I can't find my baby, I want to know where she can be
Anybody seen my baby, just send her on back to me

Source: Musixmatch
Songwriters: Otis Spann