Otis Leavill (February 8, 1937 – July 17, 2002) – Love Uprising (1970)
Otis Leavill (February 8, 1937 – July 17, 2002) – Love Uprising (1970)
This superb soulful message song was written for Leavill by Chi-Lites lead singer Eugene Record, arranged by Tom Tom 84 and produced by Willie Henderson.
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Otis Leavill was a talented singer/songwriter, talent scout and Chicago record company executive who discovered legendary artists including Tyrone Davis and the Chi-Lites.
Otis Leavill Cobb was born in Georgia but his family moved to Chicago when he was two years old. He was high school friends with Major Lance and formed a short-lived vocal trio with him after graduating.
His first single as a solo artist “Rise Sally Rise” was released in 1963. Its B-side “I Gotta Right To Cry” was written by Curtis Mayfield, another of Leavill’s friends. He finally made it onto the charts with his fourth single, “Let Her Love Me” (1964) which was produced by Major Lance, written by Jerry Butler’s younger brother Billy, and featured the Impressions singing background vocals. It reached #31 R&B following its release on Blue Rock Records, and gave Leavill the opportunity to tour with Dick Clark's Caravan of Stars.
Although he released other records on Blue Rock, none of them became hits. Leavill became a talent scout and assistant producer at Okeh and Brunswick Records, working closely with producer Carl Davis. He discovered several legendary artists and got them their first record deals, including Tyrone Davis, Hamilton Bohannon, and the Chi-Lites.
Leavill became Vice President of Dakar Records in 1967 after Davis founded the label. He recorded his biggest hit there, “I Love You” (1969), which made it to #10 on the R&B charts. The next year in 1970, he released a followup record, the superb soulful message song “Love Uprising,” on which he channeled Curtis Mayfield.
Like “I Love You,” “Love Uprising” was produced by Willie Henderson and arranged by the great Tom Washington, aka Tom Tom 84. It was solely written by Chi-Lites lead singer Eugene Record, who had co-written “I Love You” with Carl Davis, and went to #19 R&B and #72 on the Billboard pop charts.
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