James Allen Otto (born July 29, 1973 at Fort Lewis in Washington) is an American country music artist who is a member of the MuzikMafia, a group of country musicians known for their "country music without prejudice". Otto began his career on Mercury Nashville Records in 2002, charting three minor singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts and recording his debut album Days of Our Lives for the label before being dropped in 2004.
In late 2007, he signed to Warner Bros. Records. His second album, Sunset Man, was released in April 2008. It was produced by John Rich (of Big & Rich) and Jay DeMarcus (of Rascal Flatts), the latter of whom is Otto's brother-in-law. The lead-off single to Sunset Man, "Just Got Started Lovin' You", became Otto's first Number One hit, as well as the Number One country single of 2008 according to Billboard.
Biography
James Otto was born on July 29, 1973 on the Fort Lewis Army Base in the state of Washington.[1] He first took up singing at age two,and later learned to play violin and saxophone. However, he wanted to learn to play guitar as well, and at age thirteen, he received a guitar for his birthday.[1]
He traveled throughout the country for most of his childhood, but his family finally settled in the small town of Benton City, Washington. After graduating from Kiona-Benton High School, Otto joined the United States Navy, where he served for two years.[1] In 1998, he moved to Nashville, Tennessee, and began attending songwriters' nights there; three years later, he joined the MuzikMafia, a group of country music songwriters which includes Big & Rich and Gretchen Wilson.
Musical career
In 2002, Otto met Scott Parker of Mercury Nashville Records, who signed him to a record deal that year.[1] His first single, "The Ball", peaked at #45 on the Billboard country charts, while a second single, "Long Way Down", failed to chart at all. Due to the poor chart performance of these singles, Otto's debut album was delayed. "Days of Our Lives", his third release for the label, was released in late 2003, peaking at #33 on the country charts.[2] Shortly after the song peaked, his debut album (also entitled Days of Our Lives) was released on Mercury, and in 2004, Otto was signed as an opening act for Shania Twain on her Up! Tour. [1] His fourth single for Mercury, "Sunday Morning and Saturday Night", peaked at #58. After the song fell from the charts, Otto exited Mercury's roster. From there, he began working with the MuzikMafia, a gathering of singer-songwriters founded by Big & Rich, Gretchen Wilson and Cowboy Troy. Otto co-wrote songs and sang background vocals on two of Cowboy Troy's albums: Loco Motive and Black in the Saddle, released in 2005 and early 2007, respectively.
Sunset Man
By mid-2007, Otto signed to Warner Bros. Records Nashville. His first single for the label, "Just Got Started Lovin' You", was released at the end of that year as the lead-off single to his second album, Sunset Man. The album was co-produced by Otto's brother-in-law, Jay DeMarcus of Rascal Flatts, along with Big & Rich's John Rich.[3] Sunset Man peaked at #2 on Top Country Albums upon its April release. "Just Got Started Lovin' You" reached Number One on the Hot Country Songs charts a month later, becoming the highest-charting single of his career[4] as well as the Number One country single of 2008 according to the Billboard Year-End charts. The album's other two singles — "For You" and "These Are the Good Ole Days" — did not perform as well on the charts, peaking at #39 and #36 in September 2008 and March 2009, respectively.
In mid-2008, Otto was commissioned to perform a new theme song for the Atlanta Braves, entitled "The Braves Play Here," composed by Greg Barnhill and Randy Wachtler for 615 Music.[5] He also co-wrote Jamey Johnson's mid-2008 single "In Color" with Johnson and Lee Thomas Miller. This song was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Country Song at the 2008 Grammy Awards, and received the 2008 Academy of Country Music award for Song of the Year, which is awarded to the songwriters.
James Otto
Otto released his eighth single, "Since You Brought It Up", in April 2009. It peaked at #37 by July of the same year. This song is the lead-off single to a second album for Warner Bros., which will be self-titled, and will be produced by Paul Worley.
Discography
Studio albums
| Year |
Album details |
Chart Positions[6] |
| US Country |
US |
CAN Country |
| 2004 |
Days of Our Lives
|
61 |
— |
— |
| 2008 |
Sunset Man
|
2 |
3 |
25 |
| 2010 |
James Otto
- TBR: February 16, 2010
- Label: Warner Bros. Nashville
|
To be released |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart |
Singles
| Year |
Single |
Peak chart positions[7] |
RIAA[8] |
Album |
| US Country |
US |
US
Pop |
CAN Country |
CAN |
| 2002 |
"The Ball" |
45 |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
Days of Our Lives |
| 2003 |
"Long Way Down" |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
| "Days of Our Lives" |
33 |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
| 2004 |
"Sunday Morning and Saturday Night" |
58 |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
| 2007 |
"Just Got Started Lovin' You" |
1 |
27 |
65 |
2 |
71 |
Gold |
Sunset Man |
| 2008 |
"For You" |
39 |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
| "These Are the Good Ole Days" |
36 |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
| 2009 |
"Since You Brought It Up" |
37 |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
James Otto |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart |
Music videos
| Year |
Video |
Director |
| 2008 |
"Just Got Started Lovin' You" |
Ryan Smith |
| "For You" |
Kristin Barlowe/Jack Roberts |
| 2009 |
"These Are The Good Ole Days" |
Ryan Smith |
References
External links
