Introducing (180G LP + Download)

Compared at the age of 15 to Hendrix and the great Kings of blues guitar (B.B., Albert, Freddie), the young phenom, Shuggie Otis went on to make two expansive, genre-defying, deeply curious albums, 1971's Freedom Flight and 1974's Inspiration Information. The records, essentially crafted as a one-man band, floored Sly Stone, gave the Brothers Johnson their most enduring hit ("Strawberry Letter 23") and predated the stylistic synthesist Prince by half a decade.

Shuggie, the son of rhythm and blues bandleader Johnny Otis, was a guitar prodigy, but he didn't stop there. An exceptional drummer and vibraphone player, he immersed himself in drum-machine technology in its earliest incarnation. He played piano and organ, and he arranged for horns and strings; friends say he was at least as good a bass player as he was a guitarist.

This new compilation from Sony/Legacy brings together ten of the most indelible tracks from the artist The Roots' Questlove called "...the unsung hero of blues and funk. His music is so potent that it only blossomed 30 years after it was first released." Includes seminal tracks from Otis' core catalog: Here Comes Shuggie Otis (1969), Freedom Flight (1971) and Inspiration Information (1974). 180-gram audiophile vinyl with MP3 download card.