Shuggie Otis at Rumsey Playground

Shuggie Otis was born Johnny Alexander Veliotes, Jr., in Los Angeles on November 30, 1953, the son of soul singer Johnny Otis and his wife Phyllis. The name "Shuggie" (short for "sugar", according to his mother) was coined by Phyllis when he was a newborn. Otis began playing guitar when he was two years old and performing professionally with his father's band at age 12, often disguising himself with dark glasses and a false mustache so that he could play with his father's band in after-hours nightclubs. Shuggie Otis released his first solo album, Here Comes Shuggie Otis, in 1969. His second album, 1971’s Freedom Flight, featured "Strawberry Letter 23," which became a hit for the Brothers Johnson. His third album, Inspiration Information, originally released in 1974, was re-released earlier this year coupled with Wings of Love, a collection of previously unreleased material written from 1975 to the present, including live material from some of his rare performances.

A good turnout came to Otis’s free Summer Stage concert in the Rumsey Playground at Central Park this afternoon. Otis’ return was staggered, however. He spoke to the audience a lot, but had little of interest to say. He played extended blues guitar leads well, but spent more time allowing his other musicians to play seemingly improvised leads. Otis is an unrefined singer, and his uncultivated vocals were sometimes abrasive to the common ear. Lastly, his catalogue of blues and soul songs were enjoyable but not outstanding. Considering that admission to the concert was by free-will donation, it was a lovely afternoon in a beautiful park. Professionally, it was a presentation that needed some fine-tuning in order to become a major league performance.