12 Jul
Otis Day & The Knights perform “Shout” in Animal House
Otis Day & The Knights still tour heavily, twenty-nine years after they sang “Shout” in the movie Animal House. It was one of those classic appearances in a film that, deserving or not, has won an enduring place in the history of our popular culture. Otis Day was actually an actor named DeWayne Jessie, whose brother was regarded as the singer in the family—but after DeWayne Jessie was offered the role of Otis Day in Animal House, he wound up keeping Otis Day & The Knights on the road. They’ve enjoyed great success ever since. No doubt the group will figure in a big way in 30th anniversary celebrations for Animal House next year.
This clip evokes one of my memorable musical moments……..
I was at Superbowl XXX in Tempe, Arizona in 1996. No, my favorite memory was NOT Diana Ross’s halftime extravaganza ten song medley ending with her being whisked or whirled away from stage by helicopter. Some view this as one of the better Super Bowl half time shows over the years but they are produced for television and not the crowds in the stadiium. It looked like a mess to me. (By the way, Dallas beat Pittsburgh 27-17 behind two MVP Larry Brown interceptions).
No, my moment happened two days before. Out for a cruise in the desert with my friend and colleague George Cummings, we came upon a small hotel with nothing else around it. On the marquee were the words, “Tonight only: Otis Day and the Knights.” When we finally realized it wasn’t a mirage, we couldn’t resist! We joined a crowd of about 100 in a small club inside for a classic Otis performance. As anyone who has seen him knows, he not only works incredibly hard throughout his high energy performance, he sweats like nobody I have ever seen. Part of his act is keeping a towel on hand and having a stage hand give him a fresh one after every number. And yes, he needed it. The show was the clear highlight of the trip.
Thinking about that wonderful evening in the desert just makes me want to shout!
July 16th, 2007 at 5:28 pm