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Johnny Otis Of 'Willie And The Hand Jive' Dies
msnbc.com 3 weeks, 5 days agoLOS ANGELES (AP) -- Johnny Otis, who made the R&B classic "Willie and the Hand Jive" and evangelized black music to white audiences as a bandleader and radio host, has died in California at 90. His manager, Terry Gould, says Otis died Tuesday at his home in Altadena. Otis, who was white, grew up in a black section of Berkeley and adopted black culture as his own. He started his musical career as a drummer. By 1945, was a band leader and had a hit with "Harlem Nocturne." Otis' 1958 recording of "Willie and t
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Johnny Otis Of 'Willie And The Hand Jive' Dies
msnbc.com 3 weeks, 5 days agoThe "godfather of rhythm and blues," who for decades evangelized black music to white audiences as a bandleader and radio host, has died at 90.









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