Southern soul icon Otis Clay dies at 73
Mississippi born Blues Hall of Famer Otis Clay, known for the song 'Trying to Live My Life Without You' has died at 73 from a sudden heart attack.
Blues Hall of Fame inductee Otis Clay has died at 73 from a sudden heart attack.
Born in Mississippi he was best known for the song 'Trying to Live My Life Without You' and his often haunting soulful voice that moved between baritone and tenor. He personified deep gospel-inflected blues and soul that was extremely popular in the late 1960s and 1970s.
He received one Grammy nomination during his life and is nominated at this year’s Blues Foundation's 37th Blues Music Awards in Tennessee in May for Soul-Blues Male Artist and Soul-Blues Album for ‘This Time for Real.’
Clay’s long time collaborator Billy Price who worked with him on the nominated album said, "Otis was the last standard-bearer for deep southern soul music. These styles change, and different styles are in the forefront, but Otis was just as strong in the past five years ... For that reason, he was an icon for a lot of us who work in this genre."
Otis Clay moved to the blues hub of Chicago in the late 1950s and was well known in the city for his charitable work and generosity.