Cleveland (remote in Los Angeles), 1966-70
Darius was the recording pseudonym for Bobby Ott, a singer and songwriter from Euclid. In '69 he recorded a remarkable LP in Los Angeles using top quality studio musicians. The resulting LP, released on the Chartmaker label, is a stunning combination of thoughtful songs and superbly crafted playing - while considered 'psychedelic', it transcends easy categorization.
Bobby Ott had grown up listening to Cleveland's greaser bands like Bocky and the Visions. He moved to the Los Angeles area around 1964 and released a couple 45s, credited to Darius DePaul (his full 'performing' name) and Darrius. After he recorded the LP and a follow up session, Ott returned to Cleveland and recorded a solitary 45 on Metromedia. In 1974 he played a gig with Bocky and Angelo (of Angelo and the Initials) where he returned to using Darius DePaul. A year or so after that he was involved in a terrible automobile accident that unfortunately left him with severe facial injuries that curtailed his live apperances.
The Daruis LP, and 'Daruis' himself, were recently rediscovered and the LP reissued out of Europe.