Otis Blackwell

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  • Year:
    2010
  • Inducted by:
    Carole King
  • Category:
    Ahmet Ertegun Award
otis_blackwell

Introduction

Otis Blackwell was there when rock and roll took its first steps.

Otis Blackwell’s enduring hits took the embryonic genre of rock to a full-blown movement. Heis the genius behind “Fever,” “All Shook Up,” “Great Balls of Fire” and other classics.

Hall of Fame Essay

2010

Tony Fletcher

Otis Blackwell wrote as many as a thousand songs over his lifetime, and they’re said to have sold more than 200 million copies.

Certainly, he was one of the most significant songwriters of the mid-twentieth century. He was also one of the first to come of age at the point that rock & roll was supplanting pop as America’s music of choice, and he found himself perfectly placed to facilitate the transition.

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 2010 Induction Ceremony Program Cover
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