Music producer and songwriter Clyde Otis was born in 1924 in the small rural town of Prentice, Mississippi. Clyde's early exposure to music was very limited ." In 1962 Clyde produced 33 out of 51 chart hits for Mercury. After leaving Mercury, he briefly worked for Liberty Records and eventually founded his own publishing firm called the Clyde Otis Music Group. Relocating to Nashville, Tennessee, Otis produced sessions for country singers Charlie Rich and Sonny James. Among the artists he wrote songs for are Elvis Presley, Aretha Franklin, Patti Page, and Johnny Mathis. In fact, Clyde wrote almost 800 songs throughout his long and distinguished career. In 2000 Otis was the recipient of a Pioneer Award from the Rhythm and Blues Foundation. Clyde Otis died at age 83 in Englewood, New Jersey on January 8, 2008.
