Otis Waygood was a blues band in the 1960s in Salisbury, Rhodesia (now Harare, Zimbabwe). The original members were Benny Miller, Rob Zipper, Alan Zipper, Leigh Sagar, Angus McLean and Billy Toon.

History

In November 1969, Rob & Alan Zipper, Ivor Rubenstein and Leigh Sagar travelled to Cape Town in South Africa, with all of their gear, for a playing holiday. They were invited to play at the Battle of the Bands at Green Point Stadium and were extremely well received. This led to an invitation to a residency in a Johannesburg club and then to their being signed up by the Clive Calder

Clive Calder

Clive Calder is a South African-born and UK based record executive and businessman primarily known for co-founding the Zomba Group and its subsidiary Jive Records. The relocation of Warner Music Group Chairman Edgar Bronfman Jr...

-Ralph Simon

Ralph Simon

Ralph Simon is regarded as a founder in the modern Mobile Entertainment Industry.Simon co-founded the independent Zomba Group of music companies with Clive Calder in the 1970s. In the mid-90s, he was Executive Vice President of Capitol Records and Blue Note Records in Hollywood and started EMI...

 management team who produced the groups first album in two days. They had a recording contract with Parlophone

Parlophone

Parlophone is a record label that was founded in Germany in 1896 by the Carl Lindström Company as Parlophon. The British branch was formed in 1923 as "Parlophone" which developed a reputation in the 1920s as a leading jazz label. It was acquired in 1927 by the Columbia Graphophone Company which...

 and undertook three national tours, playing at city halls in almost every city in South Africa, Rhodesia and Mozambique.

Singer and flautist, Martin Jackson, had a brief spell in the line-up during this period but left in November 1970 and was replaced by Harry Paulus. The late, great, Bennie Miller, the guitarist from Salisbury (now Harare), was also in the group for a period, replacing Harry Paulus.

Otis Waygood's blues-jazz fusion made them one of the top live bands in South Africa of the early 70's touring South Africa and Rhodesia

Rhodesia

Rhodesia , officially the Republic of Rhodesia from 1970, was an unrecognised state located in southern Africa that existed between 1965 and 1979 following its Unilateral Declaration of Independence from the United Kingdom on 11 November 1965...

. In 1971 the group traveled to play in Holland, Germany and the United Kingdom, where they settled. In 1976, they added three Caribbean musicians to their line-up and pursued a more reggae-based sound. After several years of playing the British clubs, pubs and concert halls, as Otis Waygood, in 1977 they changed their name to Immigrant and their final tour was supporting Tavares, ending up at the Palladium, in London. The group disbanded in 1979.

Singles

• You're late Miss Kate and Fever (1970) on Parlophone
• One World (1978) on Decca (as Immigrant)

Albums

• Otis Waygood Blues Band (1970) on Parlophone (now a Fresh Music CD)
• Simply (1971) on Parlophone (now a Fresh Music CD)
• Ten Light Claps And A Scream (1971) on Parlophone (now a Fresh Music CD)