Hi and Mighty
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These days many of Hi’s key figures are still active, but most have never been able to achieve on their own the brilliance they wrought together. With his new album, This Time Around (Bullseye Blues), Otis Clay has tried to recapture the Hi vibe, reuniting not only with most of the great rhythm players that graced those old recordings–including bassist Leroy Hodges, organist Charles Hodges, and drummer Howard Grimes–but also with Mitchell. “We’re just saying, ‘Hey, we’re still here,’” says Clay. “You look around and you see that so many have gone on, and we just enjoy the fact that we’re still around and able to make music.”
Under Mitchell’s direction the Hi house band wove remarkably silky, sensuous grooves, accenting them with punchy horn charts and the occasional string arrangement. The producer knew how to bring out the best in each singer, whether it was Green’s heavenly croon or Clay’s raw gospel-style shouts. Clay recalls his stint with Hi as a family experience. “When you got in there you didn’t have to look at a clock,” he says. “You didn’t have to pass by a receptionist. You came to work. Everybody liked each other. There was no friction, no egos, and Willie made you feel real comfortable. Everybody had creative input.” Clay’s biggest hit at the label was “Trying to Live My Life Without You,” which reached number 24 on the R & B chart in 1972–Bob Seger’s cover version took it to fifth on the pop charts in ’81. But his two Hi albums and countless singles are all classics for the way Clay’s plaintive tones played off the urbane arrangements–he could phrase his lines like casual conversation and yet move you to tears.
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