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.

Worried Life Blues
Otis Spann Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Oh lordy lord, oh lordy lord.
It hurts me so bad for us to part.
But someday baby,
I ain’t gonna worry my life any more.

You’re on my mind every place I go.
How much I love you, nobody know.
Yeah, someday babe,

I ain’t gonna worry my life any more.

So many days since you went away.
I’ve had to worry both night and day.
Yeah, but someday babe,
I ain’t gonna worry my life any more.

So many nights since you’ve been gone.
I’ve been worried, grieving my life alone.
Yeah, but someday babe,
I ain’t gonna worry my life any more.

So that’s my story and this is all I’ve got to say to you:
Bye bye, baby, I don’t care what you do.
’cause someday darling,
I won’t have to worry my life any more.

Oh lordy lord, oh lordy lord.
It hurts me so bad for us to part.

Oh, but someday baby,
I ain’t gonna worry my life any more

Overall Meaning

Otis Spann's song "Worried Life Blues" is a lament about a relationship that has come to an end, and the pain and worry that come with it. The song is full of emotion and expresses the struggles of a heartbroken person as they try to come to terms with their loss. The repeated refrain of "Oh lordy lord, oh lordy lord" conveys a sense of desperation and helplessness, while the lyrics reveal a deep sense of longing for a lost love.

The singer feels a deep sadness at the thought of parting, and is consumed with thoughts of the person they have lost. The lyrics "You’re on my mind every place I go. How much I love you, nobody know" express the depth of the singer's feelings and the loneliness and despair they experience without the one they love. Despite all their worry and pain, the singer holds onto the hope that someday they will be able to move on, that they won't have to worry about their life anymore.

The song is a classic blues tune and has been covered by many artists over the years. The lyrics touch on themes of love and loss that are universal, and the simple melody and repetitive structure create a haunting, melancholic mood. Listening to the song can be a cathartic experience for anyone who has ever experienced heartbreak or loss.

Line by Line Meaning

Oh lordy lord, oh lordy lord.
Beginning of the song with an expression of pain and sorrow.

It hurts me so bad for us to part.
Leaving the loved one is painful and heartbreaking for the singer.

But someday baby, I ain’t gonna worry my life any more.
One day the singer will stop worrying about the past and will move on with his life.

You’re on my mind every place I go.
The loved one is constantly on the singer's mind regardless of his location.

How much I love you, nobody know.
The deep intensity of love the singer possesses towards his loved one is unexplainable and cannot be quantified.

Yeah, someday babe, I ain’t gonna worry my life any more.
The singer will eventually let go of the hurt and move on.

So many days since you went away.
The singer has been separated from his loved one for a long period of time.

I’ve had to worry both night and day.
The singer has been constantly worrying and grieving every single day and night since the separation.

Yeah, but someday babe, I ain’t gonna worry my life any more.
Despite the pain, the singer believes that he will eventually stop worrying about this chapter of his life.

So many nights since you’ve been gone.
The singer has been lonely and sad for many nights since the departure of his loved one.

I’ve been worried, grieving my life alone.
The singer has been mourning and grieving the loss of his loved one by himself.

Yeah, but someday babe, I ain’t gonna worry my life any more.
The singer is confident that one day he will find peace and will move on from the hurt.

So that’s my story and this is all I’ve got to say to you:
The singer is concluding his story by addressing his loved one.

Bye bye, baby, I don’t care what you do.
The singer is saying goodbye and he is willing to let go regardless of his loved one's actions.

’cause someday darling, I won’t have to worry my life any more.
The singer is confidently saying that he will eventually find peace and happiness in the future.

Oh lordy lord, oh lordy lord.
The song ends where it starts, with an expression of pain and sorrow.

Contributed by Jonathan H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS