Otis Leavill has been played on NTS shows including House Call, with I Love You first played on 22 April 2018.

Otis Leavill (February 8, 1937 - July 17, 2002) was a Chicago based American soul singer, songwriter and record company executive who was most active in the mid 1960's through the early 70's. Otis released his first single, "Ride Sally Ride" coupled with "I Gotta Right To Cry" - written by childhood friend, Curtis Mayfield - on the small Lucky label in 1963.

Leavill recorded a smattering of mid 60's material still played on the Northern Soul circuit via soul labels like the Mercury affiliated Limelight and Smash imprints, as well as Blue Rock Records.

His greatest contributions to music may have been as a talent scout and assistant producer at both Okeh and Brunswick, where he was credited with discovering The Chi-Lites, The Vibrations, Tyrone Davis, Hamilton Bohannon, and apparently passed on a young Yvette Stevens who became better known as Chaka Khan.

In 1967 Leavill's partner Carl Davis formed Dakar Records, and Leavill joined him as Vice-President. in addition to A&R duties, Leavill also recorded with Dakar, and in 1969 "I Love You", written by Eugene Record of The Chi-Lites with backing vocals by Barbara Acklin, became his biggest chart hit, reaching # 10 on the R&B charts. The follow-up, "Love Uprising", also written by Eugene Record (and credited to "Otis Leaville"), again made the charts hitting #19 R&B and number 72 Pop.

Later offerings on Brunswick, Contempo & Columbia were unsuccessful, but Leavill continued to work with, and write songs for soul artists like Major Lance, Tyrone Davis, and Gene Chandler on labels including Brunswick, and Chi-Sound. He also coached football with Carl Davis at Chicago's Hyde Park High for seven years, owned a car wash at at Washington and Pulaski and even moonlighted as a policeman. In 1999 he toured Europe with The Dells, and in 2000 he formed a new label OK Records shortly before dying of a heart attack in 2002, aged 65.