Otis Leavill - Nobody But You

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Uploaded by on May 8, 2009

Released back in October 2008, a tremendously exciting project for Northern Soul fans everywhere. We've done a deal with Wienerworld, a major music DVD company, and the same company who originally released our classic documentary "The Strange World Of Northern Soul", and we have now released the definitive DVD box set. A five disc set of 200 performances called "Northern Soul's Greatest 200 Floorfillers". This uses some songs from "The Strange World Of Northern Soul" which are completely re-edited, so they look fresh and sparkling new. All the previous video effects done in the 1990s are gone forever, consigned to history. Plus loads and loads of never before seen videos, many of which have sat in the can untouched for many many years. Plus some newly recorded tributes to the classics. If you ever went to Blackpool Mecca or Wigan Casino, this is the must-have purchase of the year. In putting together this box set, we have nearly all the biggest all time blockbusters, "Out On The Floor", "Night Owl', "I'm On My Way", "Time Will Pass You By", "Blowing My Mind To Pieces", "Do I Love You", all sung by the original singers. We believe this will go down in history as the greatest Northern Soul DVD collection of all time. Here, Chicago legend, the late great Otis Leavill, sings his Northern Soul monster classic, "Nobody But You", on Smash Records. This is another performance filmed for my now somewhat notorious documentary, "The Strange World Of Northern Soul".
Otis Leavill Cobb was born February 8, 1943, in Dewey Rose, GA. The Cobb family moved to Chicago two years later. Leavill's childhood chum, Major Lance lived in the Cabrini Green Projects near Curtis Mayfield and Jerry Butler. They slept over at each other houses and acted more like brothers than buddies. As teenagers the two pals participated in amateur boxing at St. Albees, Leavill always fought in a division five pounds heavier than Lance. At 5' 5" Leavill was short and stocky; Lance was taller and slimmer at 5' 8." They formed the Floats with two females: Barbara Tyson, and another that no one remembers. After eight months the Floats ended, they never released a record but recorded a demo that's floating around Chi-town. The Impressions recorded first, then Lance, and finally Leavill. His first record "Ride Sally Ride," dropped on Mercury's Limelight subsidiary, though Otis says he waxed it for St. Lawrence Records who evidently leased the master. His next release "Gotta Right To Cry," a Mayfield song came out on Lucky Records; Lance had already waxed and released the tune in 1963 for Okeh Records. Blue Rock Records was Leavill's next stop. There he cut some memorable sides, including Billy Butlers' "To Be Or Not To Be," and "Let Me Live." When Carl Davis formed the Dakar label, he appointed Otis as Vice President and gave him shares in the company. Leavill also recorded for Dakar where he enjoyed his biggest hit: Eugene Record's "I Love You," a song that sounded like Otis imitating Record-the Chi-lites' lead singer; it climbed to number 10 R&B but never threatened the Pop Top 40, stalling number 64. Another Record composition "Love Uprising" nearly repeated the success of "I Love You," checking in at number 19 R&B and number72 Pop. Another single "There's Nothing Better Than Loving You" scraped into the lower rungs of the R&B chart. After Dakar's demise Carl Davis went to Brunswick Records, Leavill followed and had a few releases including "Can't Stop Loving You," which sells for $40 bucks to collectors, but never equaled the success he had at Dakar. His releases after that were sporadic. "Right Back In Love" came out on Columbia Records, but after a few more droppings, Leavill's recording career ended. Never one to sit back and wait, Leavill also owned the '76 Car Wash and Gas Station at Washington and Pulaski and moonlighted as a policeman in a west Chicago 'burb. He formed OK Records in 2000 after a long hiatus from the record business. Sadly, Otis Leavill passed July 17, 2002 of a heart attack, he was 65.

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  • Got the same video style as Garland Greene

  • Lovely Lovely

    Pauline xx

  • Excelente

    Buenìsimo

  • You're not wrong there Barbra. So smooth!

  • Top Sound & Video.

    Gaz*

  • total respect for his talent

  • Great Track....Wonderful Voice!!!

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