Considered by many to be the godfather of R&B, Johnny Otis--musician, producer, artist, entrepreneur, pastor, disc jockey, writer, and tireless fighter for racial equality--has had a remarkable life by any measure. In this first biography of Otis, George Lipsitz tells the largely unknown story of a towering figure in the history of African American music and culture who was, by his own description, "black by persuasion."

Born to Greek immigrant parents in Vallejo, California, in 1921, Otis grew up in an integrated neighborhood and identified deeply with black music and...