Legendary R&B artist Johnny Otis has died at 90. He will be best remembered for the 1958 top ten hit in the pop charts, Willie and the Hand Jive.

Otis, was born in California to Greek immigrants. He changed his name from Jony Veliotes to Johnny Otis as he felt it sounded “more black”. And because of his olive complexion and brown eyes – and because he associated himself with African American culture having grown up in an African American suburb – many assumed that Otis was too.

His first big hit was the 1945 track Harlem Nocturne. During the ’50s, Otis worked with singers such as Etta James, Jackie Wilson, Esther Phillips and Big Mama Thornton. He produced Thornton’s recording of Hound Dog, the song that would become a big hit for Elvis Presley.

Otis was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1994 by Etta James who, during her induction speech, called Otis her “guru”. He continued making music until 2005 when ill health forced him to retire.