It only makes sense,” he said. I can go with the Gibson 345 or 355, but any of the semi-hollows do it for me. ‘Course, besides all that, I kinda like doing things backwards, anyway.” Rush is also a typical example of the consummate artist who is all about his music, and not involved in the cooperate aspects of marketing “soul.” He had a great jump start at Cobra, under the tutelage of Eli Toscano, who was murdered during Rush’s major hit streak with the label.“Yeah, he was a sweet man who hung too much with gamblers like Shakey Jake and all them. “I try to talk through the method of a song and I’m also still looking for something. “They were just babies when this was going down, and it hit them hard, too.
But I was there, man. In terms of gear, Rush says, “Well, there’s two guitars I really like – my Gibson semi-hollows and Fender Strats. He can grab the neck and shake it firmly, yet he retains a gentleness and sensitivity that gives his vibrato clarity and control. “To be honest, even if I wasn’t associated with this pedal I’d be using it – it just has ‘that’ sound. Pulling down makes more sense, to me anyway, and I can work it stronger and get it to sustain better. That was all I ever needed. This came smokin’ in right on the heels of other smashes like “I Can’t Quit You Baby,” “My Love Will Never Die,” and “Groaning The Blues,” all of which were chartbusters for Mr. Otis Rush, the man many guitarists acknowledge as the father and progenitor of the tough, snarly, minor-keyed blues that hint at the darkness and celebration of the human condition.To this day, Rush remains that rare artist – the true-to-his-soul and unsparingly emotional individual who can pour out every iota on stage while remaining a very private individual off stage. But for me, anyway, that’s when I play and sing my very best.“See, I moved up from Philadelphia, Mississippi (to Chicago), in like 1949 or ’50. His distinctive guitar style featured a It’s still all there, along with the wisdom and maturity of age that graces his performances with all of the fire and dynamics of his best singles laid out side-by-side with some newly-penned tunes and enough breathing space to give you an occasional break.All too often, familiar performers tour with sort of a reconstituted greatest hits package; a little window dressing, but not much going on in terms of audience connection and emotion. It goes both ways.
Rush was left-handed and played as such; however, his guitars were strung with the low E string at the bottom, upside-down from typical guitarists.The son of farmers Julia Campbell Boyd and Otis C. Rush, Rush was born near Cobra Records went bankrupt in 1959, and Rush signed a recording contract with Rush made a comeback in 1985 with a U.S. tour and the release of a live album, Rush died on September 29, 2018, from complications of a stroke. His death was announced on his website by his wife Masaki.Gregg Parker, CEO and a founder of the Chicago Blues Museum said of Rush: "He was one of the last great blues guitar heroes. And for me, well, the Strats just can do some things and feel a bit differently than the Gibson, and sometimes I’ll trade-off.“For amps, I can’t deny I really liked those old 4 X 10 Bassmans. “Sometimes I feel the happiest – or I should say the most content – when I’m sitting around in my empty house playing the blues on my guitar. But again, he is a true believer in the ability of getting out angst through the purity of song.“Yes, that’s right,” Rush says. That makes things a lot easier in terms of pressure and control. His distinctive guitar style featured a slow-burning sound and long bent notes. In terms of gear, Rush says, “Well, there’s two guitars I really like – my Gibson semi-hollows and Fender Strats. But, like with anything, there’s always something else out there.
This ability to voice feeling, love, pain, and despair, all within the confines of a measured 12-bar blues has led some of the record-buying public and even a few reporters into thinking Rush must be even more expansive and opinionated when not in the spotlight. It gives you something else to bounce off of, and it really rounds the sound.”Without getting into the oft-quoted argument about how “you can’t play the blues if you never had ’em,” the simple fact is certain music rings true.
!”Buddy’s smile, from the back of the room, was easily visible onstage. Actually, with either heavy strings or sometimes lighter ones like a 10-46 set. But, actually, the biggest thrill is taking the stage before Mr. Otis Rush, because he is really the *#@! It captures all my favourite BB-inspired tones and the MIDI integration to control the switching is a huge bonus live. But that can be distractin’, too.”Rush also feels being left-handed is a definite advantage for his chosen instrument, and points to guys like Albert King and Jimi Hendrix, who also developed signature sounds.“See, when you play lefty, (upside down right-handed guitars), you’re pulling that vibrato down to the floor. And I came up with me!”Sitting next to Rush as he fingers chords and goes to town on his lead work is a good lesson in sparseness and controlled fervor. I can go with the Gibson 345 or 355, but any of the semi-hollows do it for me. "Rush is a 'good singer' with a 'good instrument'—sweet, penetrating, slurred—but the words aren't where his soul goes.
He was an electric god". See, a lot of times I feel I play a tune too long. The notes come out just right, my singing feels good, and I’m content. I had a fairly big family, too – four brothers and two sisters. Rush was born in 1934, so he was 16 years old at the time. Now I know it’s standard to extend a piece in concert, as opposed to how it is on the record, but that’s not how it is with me. Take a look at Eric Clapton and Keith Richards and all those English cats,” he says. “It’s great to be playing. Rush is one artist who is at the peak of his game right now. Now, how are you supposed to beat that?”Rush can talk at length about the revelatory experience of hearing the first phase of the original Chicago blues as it was being formulated.