Otis Gibbs
{{short description|American singer-songwriter}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2020}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = Otis Gibbs
| image = Otis_Gibbs_Photo.jpg
| image_size = 175
| caption = Otis Gibbs
| birth_name = Paul Otis Gibbs III{{cite web|url=https://www.ascap.com/repertory#/ace/search/workID/901106051 |title=AIN T NOTHIN SPECIAL |website=ASCAP |publisher=American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers |access-date=March 13, 2023}}
| birth_date =
| birth_place =
| origin = Wanamaker, Indiana
| death_date =
| death_place =
| genre = Folk music
| occupation = Singer-songwriter
| instrument = Guitar
| years_active = 2002–present
| label = Wanamaker
Benchmark
Flat Earth
| current_members = Thomm Jutz
Mark Fain
Paul Griffith
Amy Lashley
| associated_acts =
| website = {{URL|otisgibbs.com}}
}}
Paul Otis Gibbs III is an American alt-country singer-songwriter and podcaster who has independently released several albums since 2002.
Biography
Gibbs was raised in Wanamaker, Indiana, a neighborhood on the outskirts of Indianapolis. He recalls being introduced to the music industry at an early age, when a friend of his aunt's that was supposed to be babysitting him would take him to a nearby saloon to earn money by singing while he played the piano.{{cite web|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/popcandy/2014/08/20/otis-gibbs/14345111/|title=Otis Gibbs: Man, can this singer tell a story ...|last=Matheson|first=Whitney|date=August 20, 2014|work=USA Today|accessdate=May 20, 2015}}
Gibbs worked for over 10 years as a tree planter in Indiana, planting what he estimates to be over 7,000 trees.{{cite news|last1=Joiner|first1=James|title=Exclusive: Listen to Otis Gibbs's New Album |url= http://www.esquire.com/blogs/culture/listen-otis-gibbs-souvenirs-of-a-misspent-youth|accessdate=September 4, 2014 |work= Esquire|date=August 13, 2014}}
Music career
Gibbs' songs feature stories about everyday life. He has been compared to Woody Guthrie, Tom T. Hall, Kris Kristofferson, and Townes Van Zandt.{{cite news|last=Lewis|first=Randy|title=Album review: Otis Gibbs' 'Grandpa Walked a Picketline'|url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/music_blog/2009/01/album-review-ot.html |newspaper=Pop & Hiss The LA Times Music Blog|accessdate=July 9, 2010 | date=January 12, 2009}}{{cite web|last=Lankford Jr |first=Ronnie |title=One Day Our Whispers |url={{AllMusic |class=album|id=r699586 |pure_url=yes}}|work=Allmusic|accessdate=July 9, 2010}}
His 2014 album, Souvenirs of a Misspent Youth was described as "his most pleasing, direct and artful work" by The Tennessean. Alan Harrison of No Depression notes that "The Darker Side of Me" is the type of song that Johnny Cash would be interested in recording.{{cite news|last=Cooper|first=Peter|title=Otis Gibbs remains East Nashville's unfiltered troubadour |url= http://www.tennessean.com/story/entertainment/music/peter-cooper/2014/08/23/otis-gibbs-remains-east-nashvilles-unfiltered-troubadour/14410919/|accessdate=September 4, 2014|newspaper=The Tennessean|date=August 23, 2014}}
Billy Bragg included Gibbs' song "The Peoples Day" in a list of "Top Five Songs with Something to Say", published in the Wall Street Journal.{{cite news|last=Maclagan|first=Kirsty |title=Folk singer Otis Gibbs comes to West Coker |url=http://www.yeovilexpress.co.uk/leisure/whats_on/4293098.Folk_singer_Otis_Gibbs_comes_to_West_Coker/|accessdate=July 9, 2010|newspaper=Yeovil Express|date=May 9, 2009}}{{cite news |last=Jurgensen|first=John|title=Songs With Something to Say; Rocker Billy Bragg on His Favorite 'Message Music'|newspaper=Wall Street Journal|date=May 30, 2008|page=W.2}} Andy Gill of The Independent wrote that there is a "authenticity and dedication in Gibbs' delivery which is somehow cleansing in its purity".{{cite news|last=Gill|first=Andy|title=Album: Otis Gibbs, Joe Hill's Ashes (Wanamaker)|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/album-otis-gibbs-joe-hills-ashes-wanamaker-1984788.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220524/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/album-otis-gibbs-joe-hills-ashes-wanamaker-1984788.html |archive-date=May 24, 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|accessdate=July 9, 2010|newspaper=The Independent|date=May 28, 2010 | location=London}}
Other activities
Gibbs has recorded more than 100 podcasts under the title "Thanks for Giving a Damn" that consist of conversational interviews with musicians. Podcasts have included conversations with Mando Saenz, Ramsay Midwood, Chris Shiflett (Foo Fighters), Marshall Crenshaw, Jim White, Delbert McClinton, and Amy Lashley. The podcast has been featured on iTunes' "New And Noteworthy" and "What's Hot" lists.
Personal life
Gibbs lives in Indianapolis, Indiana, with his long-time partner Amy Lashley, a singer-songwriter and children's book author.{{cite web |last=Cornell |first=Rick |title=Otis Gibbs: Interview Recap|url=https://www.indystar.com/story/entertainment/music/concerts/2020/10/22/singer-songwriter-otis-gibbs-back-home-again-indiana/5944273002/|work=Americana Music Show|accessdate=January 30, 2014|date=July 2, 2012}}
Discography
| class="wikitable"
! style="width:3.5em;" | Year ! style="width:15em;" | Title ! style="width:10em;" | Label |
| style="text-align:center;" | 2002
| 49th and Melancholy | Flat Earth Records |
| style="text-align:center;" | 2003
| Once I Dreamed of Christmas | Benchmark |
| style="text-align:center;" | 2004
| One Day Our Whispers | Benchmark |
| style="text-align:center;" | 2008
| Grandpa Walked a Picketline | Wanamaker |
| style="text-align:center;" | 2010
| Joe Hill's Ashes | Wanamaker |
| style="text-align:center;" | 2012
| Harder Than Hammered Hell | Wanamaker |
| style="text-align:center;" | 2014
| Souvenirs of a Misspent Youth{{cite web|last=Gibbs|first=Otis|title=Souvenirs Of A Misspent Youth|url=https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1334337373/souvenirs-of-a-misspent-youth |work=Kickstarter |date= July 22, 2013 |accessdate=January 30, 2014}} | Wanamaker |
| style="text-align:center;" | 2016
| Mount Renraw | Wanamaker |
| style="text-align:center;" | 2020
| Hoosier National | Wanamaker |
References
{{Reflist|2}}
External links
- {{Official website|http://www.otisgibbs.com/}}
- {{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p534146|label=Otis Gibbs}}
- {{SoundCloud|label=Otis Gibbs}}: "Thanks For Giving A Damn with Otis Gibbs" podcast interview show
- [https://youtube.com/c/OtisGibbsTV YouTube channel]
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gibbs, Otis}}
Category:American alternative country singers
Category:Musicians from Indianapolis
Category:Singers from Nashville, Tennessee
Category:American country singer-songwriters
Category:Country musicians from Indiana
Category:Country musicians from Tennessee
Category:Industrial Workers of the World members