Otis Clay, born Otis Clay on 11 February 1942 in Waxhaw, Bolivar County, Mississippi, was an American soul singer whose career began in gospel choirs before moving to Chicago’s vibrant R&B scene. After early gospel recordings with the Christian Travelers and later with the Sensational Nightingales, he signed with One-derful! Records in 1965, releasing his first secular single that year; his breakthrough came in 1967 with "That's How It Is (When You're in Love)", which reached number 34 on the R&B charts. The label’s closure led to a contract with Atlantic’s Cotillion, where "She's About a Mover" (1968) peaked at number 47 on the R&B charts. In 1971, Clay joined Hi Records and issued "Trying to Live My Life Without You" (1972), his highest-charting single at number 24 on the R&B charts, which was later covered by Bob Seger, charting at number 5 on the pop charts. He continued to record albums such as The Only Way Is Up (1982), Watch Me Now (1989), and Truth Is (2013), while touring extensively, including a live recording in Japan (1983) and Switzerland (2005). Clay received a Blues Foundation Hall of Fame induction in 2013 and a Grammy nomination in 2008 for Best Traditional R&B Performance, and he passed away on 8 January 2016.
