Blackwell, Otis, 1931-2002

LC control no.	n 94021277
Descriptive conventions	rda
Personal name heading	Blackwell, Otis, 1931-2002 *Browse this term in* LC Authorities or the LC Catalog
Variant(s)	Davenport, John, 1931-2002
Associated country	United States
Birth date	1931-02-16 1932-02-16
Death date	2002-05-06
Place of birth	Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.)
Place of death	Nashville (Tenn.)
Affiliation	Apollo Theater (New York, N.Y. : 125th Street) RCA Victor Records Jay-Dee Records
Profession or occupation	Pianists Composers
Special note	Removed from undiff NAR n97016626
Found in	His Singin' the blues [SR] p1981: label (Otis Blackwell) New York Times, May 9, 2002 (Otis Blackwell, 70, songwriter; d. May 6, 2002, Nashville, Tenn.; b. 1931, Brooklyn, N.Y.; under contract with Jay-Dee used pen name John Davenport) African American National Biography, accessed June 10, 2015, via Oxford African American Studies Center database: (Blackwell, Otis; John Davenport; songwriter, pianist; born 16 February, 1932 in Brooklyn, New York, United States; studied at school (1940s); learned to play the piano; worked as floor sweeper and laundry clothes presser at New York Theater; participated in talent contest at Harlem's Apollo Theater (1952); recorded with RCA Victor Records (1952), then Jay-Dee Records (1953); joined New York's prosperous community of tunesmiths (1950s); composed songs: "Fever" (1955), first an R&B hit for the blues singer Little Willie John, "Don't Be Cruel", first hit of Elvis Presley (1956), then many songs for Presley (1957, 1962, 1963) and for other artists; used the pseudonym John Davenport (1960s); recorded his album (1976); was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, joined the National Academy of Popular Music Songwriters' Hall of Fame (1991), was the subject of a tribute album Brace Yourself! (1992); died 06 May, 2002 in Nashville, Tennessee, United States)