Otis Day And The Knights

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Otis Day and the Knights are responsible for countless toga parties...so SHOUT!

Otis Day and the Knights owe everything to a little film called "Animal House." Ask anyone named Otis. Ask him if he is not routinely hailed as "Otis, my man!" by virtually all who know him. Otis Wilson, Otis Jennings, Ottis Anderson - all have become Otis-My-Mans. Otis Campbell, the town drunk from Mayberry R.F.D., Otis Elevators. But the original Otis-My-Man is not really an Otis at all. DeWayne Jessie was part of Universal Studios' stable of character actors when he was offered the role of Otis Day, the roadhouse rhythm and blues singer in Animal House - National Lampoon's occasionally raunchy but unfailingly funny tribute to college fraternity life. Now he's Otis - for life. "He's taken over," Jessie admitted. "He's taken over as far as performing goes. But when I get my bills, it's DeWayne Jessie."

Released in 1978, Animal House became one of the top 50 grossing movies of all time - though not all the grossing was done at the box office. And though it lasted just two scenes, Jessie's role was among the most memorable - first for the Knight's toga-party rendition of "Shout!" and then for their appearance at the Dexter Lake Club, where an alert freshman pledge noticed that, "We're the only white people here."

There, one of the Delta road-trippers hailed from the bar, "Otis, my man" - only to get a stony stare in return. American race relations have never been summed up so succinctly. "About two days after the film was released, I got a call from a guy in Rhode Island wanting us to come out on the road," Jessie said. "I didn't go, but then Los Angeles based producers Ron Kurtz and Don Podolor called and said 'Let's give it a try'"! The rest is Rock n' Roll history. Otis toured to sold out crowds immediately. In fact, in Galveston, Texas he drew 375,000 to his Mardi Gras concert. "It was done in reverse," states Ron Kurtz. "First we toured successfully (over 260 concerts the first year alone), then we did a feature full length video. Now we have a new album on MCA Records produced by George Clinton."

Otis Day and the Knights get parties started right.
Otis Day and the Knights get parties started quickly.