A little bit of country was just what the doctor ordered for nearly 2,000 fans Feb. 6 at The Club at Tom, Dick & Harry’s in Ashwaubenon. Country star, singer and songwriter James Otto stretched out his vocal chords for a full show after local opener Red Clover.

While having football loyalties to the team in purple to the west, Otto’s passion for playing for fans in Titletown is alive and well-exercised. Otto has actually made several trips to Green Bay for various radio engagements, performances and even to catch a football game.

Otto took a few minutes on the evening of the show to chat about where his musical career has come from and where it is going…a rocket ride from where things started, to say the least.

Otto never will forget the almost 12 years of tinkering, trying and tailoring in Nashville trying to survive while writing and performing the music he loved.   It was in those tough years though that Otto’s contacts and skills developed further through playing and networking with folks like Jay DeMarcus (Rascal Flatts) and John Rich (Big & Rich).

DeMarcus (James’ brother-in-law) and Rich both helped co-produce Sunset Man, Otto’s second album that continues to earn accolades and awards following its debut at No. 3 on the Billboard Top 200 album chart.  The album’s first single, “Just Got Started Lovin’ You” quickly became the Most Played Single of 2008 at country radio. Probably why when Otto took home a CMA Award for co-writing song of the year, Jamey Johnson’s “In Color,” it was no surprise to fans, listeners and the industry.

Otto himself was, well…“Shocked…for the industry to vote the way they did…it’s just one of those things you can’t ever expect to have happen to you,” he explained…then, add the additional ACM Award for Song of the Year for the same track. But will he take it and the confidence that comes with it?

Certainly! Otto explained “It’s affected my confidence as a writer I think…gets you to think ‘maybe I can do this a bit more often’…you walk into a room with a little more confidence than you’ve had before, too.”

Otto’s most recent single “Since You Brought It Up,” was co-written by Otto with Rivers Rutherford and Dave Berg, while being co-produced by Grammy Award-winning producer and guitarist Paul Worley (Big & Rich, Dixie Chicks).

It’s with supportive colleagues, friends and fans that Otto has found his groove in both writing and performing. “I like to joke that even John Rich wasn’t John Rich when I met him, it was more like John Broke,” laughed Otto. “Then all of his singing and production blew up…John’s one of the most talented people in Nashville.”

In the few previous years Otto has been able to play and perform with the likes of Lynyrd Skynyrd, Hank Jr., Brooks & Dunn, Big & Rich, ZZ Top, Taylor Swift and more. It is certainly a blessing to share the same ticket as many of those stars and similarly, Otto is aware of the fruits of his labor and has turned some of his work into working for others.

WNCY Y100 presented Otto as a special concert event helping to raise funds for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and entertaining fans to boot. The concert directly raised $1,500 for the hospital, a favorite charity partner of Otto’s.

Otto wrote “Where Angels Hang Around” (Sunset Man) which has been used promotionally for St. Jude to help tell people about the message of the work of the hospital. “With the job I have…I’m lucky to live the life that I am. It is an opportunity to help people and do something like this with my music…to tell about all the work they do and what an incredible place it is,” Otto explained.

Locally, WNCY Y100 held its annual Radiothon for St. Jude. The two-day event on Feb.11-12 raised more than $235,000 to help fund some of the extraordinary medical research that St. Jude has been practicing for years.

Fans can tune into Y100 to catch Otto’s hits locally or check out his website at jamesotto.net for fan information, photos, tour dates and more.  Otto also has a rather extensive social media presence on Facebook, MySpace and Twitter. Otto admits he’s likely to be on Twitter rather actively keeping his followers informed about his travels or just another rough day at the airports.

“Groovy Little Summer Song,” Otto’s newest single debuts March.  Check out Otto’s website, tune in or download it now from iTunes.