Illinois Entertainer February 2016 | Page 16

By Rosalind Cummings-Yeates REMEMBERING OTIS I f you ever saw Otis Clay perform, you were graced with both the dynamic showmanship of a classic soul-blues belter and the open-hearted humility of a faithful gospel singer. It’s significant that Otis smoothly straddled both ends of the blues spectrum-pouring out gritty vocals of love and life with a