Who the Hell is Johnny Otis

When a high school counselor told him to quit his Black friends, Ioannis Veliotes, the son of Greek immigrants, dropped out and became Johnny Otis, a legendary innovator of Rhythm & Blues.

A musician, artist, and writer, his book defending the 1965 Watts Rebellion — Listen to the Lambs — was a full-throated battle cry against racism and white supremacy. And it nearly ended his career.

This is the provocative and inspiring story of the artist behind “Willie and the Hand Jive,” whose influence spans from Big Mama Thornton and Gladys Knight to today’s artists like Bruno Mars and Jon Batiste — and of his lifelong stand against white supremacy.