Otis Leavill
b. Otis Leavill Cobb, 8 February 1941, Atlanta, Georgia, USA. Brought up in Chicago's west side, Otis came to music through his family's gospel group, the Cobb Quartet. He later formed the short-lived Floats with a childhood friend, Major Lance, and Barbara Tyson. Leavill's first solo single was issued in 1963 and coupled Rise Sally Rise with I Gotta Right To Cry, an early Curtis Mayfield song. The singer's reputation was secured with a 1964 release, Let Her Love Me, written by Billy Butler and produced by Major. Although he continued to record for several companies, Leavill's principal task was undertaken at OKeh where he assisted producer Carl Davis. The partners would subsequently form the Dakar label in 1967. Leavill recorded four singles for the company, two of which, I Love You and Love Uprising, were written by Eugene Record of the Chi-Lites. Leavill later returned to a backroom role and from 1976 ran his own label, Chi-Sound until it folded in 1984.