Otis Clay rediscovers Memphis

For someone who has lived in Chicago for 43 years, Otis Clay can still think of Memphis as home - at least his recording home. Clay, a Waxhaw, Miss., native, first came to Memphis to record in 1971. And although he only worked with Mitchell till 1974, those years remain special for Clay. He continued to visit the city regularly, to see friends and to perform.

Clay and Mitchell recapture those special feelings on Clay's latest release, This Time Around, on the Bullseye label. Clay returned to Memphis to work with Mitchell again, and the results are outstanding.

"Memphis is like coming home," Clay says by phone from his Chicago home. "After so many years, you know so many people, and although it's been awhile since I recorded there, you still come in and see everyone."

Clay got is start like so many others - singing gospel in Delta churches. By the age of four, he was in a gospel group with a brother, two nephews and a cousin. For 12 years, he sang in several groups as his family bounced back and forth from Mississippi and Muncie, Ind.

He settled in Chicago in 1957. After a moving more into secular/R&B music, he landed his first recording contract with Columbia Records.

"The first time I walked into a studio was 1962, around this time of year," Clay says. "That was the first contract I had, which was with Columbia. That material was never released, though."

His first national exposure came in 1967 when he received notice for "That's How It Is," on the One-derful Records label. The small, independent label in Chicago sold Clay's contract to Atlantic in 1968. He returned to the south to record, scoring a top 50 hit with "She's About a Mover," which was the first record ever released on Atlantic's Cotillion label.

By 1971, two disc jockeys were telling Clay he needed to go to Memphis and work with Willie Mitchell.

"I was with Atlantic, and at that time, things were just getting off the ground for Willie. Things were just getting off the ground for Al Green," Clay says. "Everybody seemed to sense there was going to some big hits with Al Green. Of course, the whole world knows that now. But, it was suggested by some friends in Chicago that we go to Memphis to do the recording."

The three-year relationship produced several great cuts, none better than "Trying to Live My Life Without You." Clay worked with the Hodges brothers - bassist Leroy, keyboardist Charles and guitarist Teenie - and drummer Howard Grimes. Leroy, Charles and Grimes returned for new record.

That wasn't the only thing Clay found familiar when he returned to Memphis to record.

"It was somewhat different, but mostly it was just the same," he says. "You have all the comforts of home. It was like turning back the hands of time. It was just like the past. We'd talk about which places do we go to for some good soul food, stuff like that."

And for Clay, it was a joy to team up again with Mitchell.

"He gets the best out of you. Whatever you do, get ready to go in there and do it better with him," Clay says. "He just has a way of making you feel really comfortable. You'll be in for a great time."

Clay now is ready to hit the road in support of This Time Around. At the same, though, he still finds time for gospel. His 1993 Blind Pig Record, The Gospel Truth, remains popular. And he's already started work on his next record.

"I'll be out on the road now, but I'm into another album already, too. At this late stage, might as well keep it consistent, keep it going," he says. "We've been doing some tracks in my studio here in Chicago. We've laid some rhythm tracks. We'll probably come back down to Memphis and finish the thing up."

Clay says he's as happy with his career as he's ever been. He's getting the label support he's always wanted, and he's very excited about his musical output. Overall, it's a special time.

"It's an exciting time now. I've never had this kind of promotion. And this is the first album we did in a long time, where we recorded a whole album. That's unusual for me. Usually you just end up with enough material for an album. But this time we went in really concentrating on the whole album. I haven't done that too many times in my career.

"I can't wait to do it again."