User:Tim M. Otto

Tim M. Otto (1959-) Tim Otto started his music career in 1979 when he bought a Conn guitar and a Hank Williams Sr. song book. From there he learned the needed chords himself and began writing his own songs right away.

In the early 1980's, Otto met Chris Charles another singer /songwriter in Portland and they became a duo for three years. In 1983, Tim & Chris went into Recording Associates a 16 track studio in Portland, Oregon, and, recorded ten songs for "The Heroes Of The West" session.

By then, Otto headed down to Clovis, New Mexico in 1983, where he met Norman Petty. After Producing and Publishing Otto in his theater studio, it was found that Norman was dying from Cancer. Otto returned to Portland, Oregon that same year. By 1984, Petty died in Lubbock of his illness. Otto was the last recording artist Petty Produced.

In 1984, Otto started The Surf Cowboys (USA) with fellow musicians: Chris Charles on bass, Greg Paul on lead electric guitar and Brad "The Beat" Pharis on drums. The group had a short but well received career in the Northwest from 1984 to 1986 mostly in Oregon. In 2002, they played a very well received reunion gig at N.W. Music Millennium.

Tim Otto made three attempts at cracking Nashville: Once in 1983, 1986 & 1990. On his 1986 trip to Music City, Tim met and became friends with Steve Young (singer/songwriter).

Later on in 1989, Young & Otto toured together in the Northwest performing twice in Portland & Seattle. In 1991, Tim Otto took the photo for Young's "Solo/Live" album on Watermelon Records.

In 1990, Otto started his own music publishing company: Almost Paradise Music (BMI) which contains over 250 songs by Tim M. Otto.

Between 2013 to 2014, Otto wrote a column for the online magazine Alt. Country Magazine: "No Depression."

This is just a very short synopsis of Otto's career in the music business. Currently Tim has published his first poetry book entitled: "Le Fauve En Moi" Almost Paradise Poetry (2015) (c)1997/2002/2015. He can sometimes be found behind one of his trusty typewriters to this day in 2016.