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.
Trouble in Mind
Otis Spann Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But I won't be blue always
Because the sun′s gonna shine
In my back door someday
I'm gonna lay my head
On some lonesome railroad line
And let that 2:19
Trouble in mind; I'm blue
And I′ve almost lost my mind
Sometimes I feel like livin′
Sometimes I feel like dyin'
I′m going down to the river
I'm going to buy me a rockin′ chair
And if the blues don't leave me
I′m goin' to rock away from here
Trouble in mind; I'm blue
My ol′ heart is a beating slow
I never had so much trouble
In my life before
My good gal, she′s gone to Sydney
And it sure did grieve my mind
When you see me laughing
I'm just a trying to keep from cryin′
Trouble in mind.
Otis Spann's "Trouble in Mind" is a blues song that depicts the struggles of a person going through a tough time. The song highlights the singer's feelings of sadness and despair, as they describe how they feel like they have "lost their mind" and their "heart is beating slow." However, the song also conveys a sense of hope for the future, as the singer believes that "the sun's gonna shine" and that they won't be sad forever.
The lyrics of the song also depict the singer's attempts to cope with their troubles. They express a desire to escape their worries by laying their head on a railroad line and letting a train pass through their mind. They also mention going down to the river to buy a rocking chair and hoping that the blues will leave them alone, so they can "rock away from here."
Overall, "Trouble in Mind" conveys the struggles of dealing with difficult emotions and situations, while also offering a sense of hope that things will get better.
Line by Line Meaning
Trouble in mind; I'm blue
I am experiencing deep sadness and distress.
But I won't be blue always
Despite my current state, I am hopeful that things will get better.
Because the sun's gonna shine
I am optimistic that a brighter future is ahead of me.
In my back door someday
I believe that my happiness will come to me in a surprising and unexpected way.
I'm gonna lay my head
To ease my troubled mind, I will lie down and rest.
On some lonesome railroad line
I will seek solace in loneliness, away from the chaos of the world.
And let that 2:19
The sound or presence of a passing train will serve as a distraction, a reminder that life goes on.
Pass through my worried mind
As the train passes, my worries will fade away with it.
And I've almost lost my mind
My sadness has taken such a toll on me that I feel like I am losing my sanity.
Sometimes I feel like livin'
Despite my sadness, there are moments when I am still able to find joy and feel alive.
Sometimes I feel like dyin'
On other occasions, the weight of my troubles feels so heavy that I feel like giving up.
I'm going down to the river
I will seek the calming presence of water.
I'm going to buy me a rockin' chair
I will give myself a place of comfort to rest and reflect in.
And if the blues don't leave me
Even with these efforts, there is a chance that my sadness will not depart.
I'm goin' to rock away from here
Despite this, I will still try to find some peace and escape from my troubles.
My ol' heart is a beating slow
My sense of grief and pain is causing my heart rate to feel slower and heavier.
I never had so much trouble
I have never experienced such a deep sadness and despair before in my life.
In my life before
The depth of my current troubles is beyond anything I have ever experienced.
My good gal, she's gone to Sydney
The loss of someone important in my life has caused me a great deal of pain.
And it sure did grieve my mind
My sadness and distress is particularly acute due to the sense of loss I feel.
When you see me laughing
My attempts to appear happy may not be genuine, but rather a facade to hide my true emotions.
I'm just a trying to keep from cryin'
In reality, I am struggling to keep from breaking down and crying from my overwhelming grief.
Writer(s): R.m. Jones
Contributed by Victoria V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@sooz9433
This brings me such peace... 🎼💙
@chrisrees5017
Timeless, yet nearly 60 years old.The world is blessed to be able to hear them - forever.
@richardmindemann6935
Two American blues giants doing what they do. This is sublime.
@grantsmythe8625
Yes it is.
@Dragon-Slay3r
Heart bubble burst so it can became a cast away v horizontal with bananas
Thanks ai anyway you get my point I ain't going to run all of it but my question is when the cloud dissapeared it finished on a red Indian with the curve under the left eye why is this? Can Ai explain so I can update the system
@bluzizalright
Excellent pairing of two great Bluesmen.
@rickheron792
Wow that's beautiful, two brilliant musicians at their best!!
@solenta1
yes yes yesssss!
@STANLIZ4
That piano playing!!! Sheer genius
@rubencampos7348
They Best piano blues ever