John Otway (born 2 October 1952) is an English singer-songwriter who has built a cult audience through extensive touring.

[2] Although his first single, "Gypsy"/"Misty Mountain" was released in 1972, Otway gained wider recognition riding the wave of punk rock and his unique performance on The Old Grey Whistle Test.

His 1990 autobiography, Cor Baby, That's Really Me (subtitled Rock and Roll's Greatest Failure) was a study in self-deprecation, and his touring continued to sustain him.

In 1993 he was able to draw 2,500 fans to a gig in London[1] and, in 1998, 4,000 celebrated his birthday with him at the Royal Albert Hall, coinciding with the release of Premature Adulation, his first album of new material for over ten years.

A grassroots campaign saw his "Beware of the Flowers Cause I'm Sure They're Going to Get You Yeah" voted the seventh greatest lyric of all time in a BBC poll.

A concerted drive, including a poll (scrutinised by the Electoral Reform Society) to select the track, saw "Bunsen Burner" – with music sampled from the Trammps song "Disco Inferno" and lyrics devised to help his daughter with her chemistry homework – reach number nine in the UK singles chart on 6 October,[4] and earned Otway an appearance on Top of the Pops, BBC Television's flagship popular music programme.

The flip-side of "Bunsen Burner – The Hit Mix" was a cover of "The House of the Rising Sun" recorded at Abbey Road Studios and featuring 900 of his fans on backing vocals, each of whom was credited by name on the single's sleeve.

He proposed hiring his own jet to take his band, and 300 of his fans, to some of the most prestigious venues in the world, including Carnegie Hall and Sydney Opera House.

Otway also tours as a solo act, as a duo with Richard Holgarth and often with his Big Band which includes Murray Torkildsen (guitar and stylophone), Seymour Fluids (bass), Adam Batterbee (drums) and guest keyboard player Barry Upton.

[12] On 2 April 2022, Otway played his 5,000th career gig, which, as a milestone event, was held at the O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire.