He furnished Elvis with original material that was only matched by Pomus & Shuman and Leiber & Stoller. Blackwell wrote “Return To Sender”, “All Shook Up”, and “Don’t Be Cruel” for Elvis.
A black songster, Otis Blackwell’s specialty was the Pop/R&R markets. As a budding tunesmith Brooklyn-born Blackwell had absorbed everything from Nat King Cole to Chuck Willis to Tex Ritter, so when Rock ‘n’ Roll exploded he was positioned to mine its R&B/C&W underpinnings.
As a performer, OB garnered a minor 1953 hit with “Daddy Rollin’ Stone”, and covers by the Ravens, The Who, and Hank Ballard ultimately expanded its reputation. Blackwell also recorded demos, and performers dug his arrangements: like Jerry Lee Lewis who uncorked two all-time rockers on Blackwell’s “Great Balls Of Fire” and “Breathless”.
Using the pseudonym John Davenport, Blackwell wrote the indomitable “Fever”. Little Willie John recorded it first; with Peggy Lee later reshaping it into a study in smoldering sensuality.
Several Dee Clark hits were Blackwell creations, like “Hey Little Girl”, and “Just Keep It Up”. Other artists benefited too, like the
Spaniels with “Please Don’t Tease”, and Jimmy Jones on “Handyman”.
Blackwell wrote over 1,000 songs, and most hold up exceedingly well. Artists as diverse as Madonna, James Taylor, Deborah
Harry, and Del Shannon have offered up interesting versions.
In the decade prior to his 2002 passing, Blackwell received belated recognition with inductions into the Songwriters Hall Of Fame and the National Academy Of Popular Music.
