Otis Blackwell Posted May 7, 2002 - Billy Swan I just checked in on RHOF web-site and saw were Otis Blackwell passed away. What a great-great songwriter, as we all well know, he was. I had the pleasure of meeting Otis through another great writer Doc Pomus. I was playing in New York at the Bitter End in 1975 and Doc bought Otis over one night. He really liked the slow version of "Don't Be Cruel", I had recorded and that naturally made me feel good. Later when I moved to Los Angeles Otis came by the house a few times . He was kind enough to play on an album I recorded for A&M. He played on a song he wrote with Brandon Harris called "Bloodstream". Which was one of my kids favorites of all my recordings. He was a super nice guy who liked to laugh. My kids thought alot of him and you could tell he loved children. He definitely contributed in a big way to the history of Rock n' Roll. He was a legend if anyone was! I hadn't seen or talked to him in awhile but my deepest sympathy goes out to Mamie and all his children. He will be missed. Thanks Otis for the inspiration you gave me and others through your wonderful songs. They'll be with us for a long long time to come. Peace, Billy Swan Back to the "Take Note" Main Page HIGHLY RECOMMENDED: CHECK ON THIS FINE PRINTING COMPANY: Promotional Products, Discount Labels, Post-it Notes, Rubber Stamps, etc.