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By the age of 14, he was playing in bands in the Jackson area. He moved to Chicago in 1946, where he was mentored by [[Big Maceo Merriweather]]. Spann performed as a solo act and with the guitarist [[Morris Pejoe]], working a regular spot at the Tic Toc Lounge. Spann was known for his distinctive piano style. He became [[Muddy Waters]]' piano player in late 1952 and participated in his first recording session with the band on September 24, 1953.<ref name="Wight">{{Cite magazine| last1 = Wight| first1 = Phil| last2 = Rothwell| first2 = Fred| title = The Complete Muddy Waters Discography| magazine = [[Blues & Rhythm]]| issue = 200| year = 1991| pages = 40–41}}</ref> He played on many of Waters' most famous songs, including the [[blues standards]] "[[Hoochie Coochie Man]]", "[[I'm Ready (Muddy Waters song)|I'm Ready]]", and "[[Got My Mojo Working]]".<ref name="Wight"/> He continued to record as a solo artist and session player with other musicians, including [[Bo Diddley]] and [[Howlin' Wolf]], during his tenure with the group. He stayed with Muddy Waters until 1968.<ref name="russell">{{cite book| first= Tony| last= Russell| year= 1997| title= The Blues: From Robert Johnson to Robert Cray| publisher=Carlton Books| location= Dubai| page= 168| isbn= 1-85868-255-X}}</ref>
Spann's work for [[Chess Records]] includes the 1954 [[single (music)|single]] "It Must Have Been the Devil" backed with "Five Spot", with [[B.B. King]] and [[Jody Williams (blues musician)|Jody Williams]] on guitars. Sometimes he is credited for playing piano on a couple of [[Chuck Berry]] songs, including "[[You Can't Catch Me]]" (1956),<ref>{{Cite AV media notes| year = 1988| title = The Chess Box| type = Box set booklet| others = [[Chuck Berry]]| location = Universal City, California| publisher = [[Chess Records]]/[[MCA Records]]| id = CHD3-80,001| page = 29}}</ref><ref name="Perone">{{Cite book| last = Perone| first = James E.| title = Listen to the Blues!: Exploring a Musical Genre| year = 2019| location = Santa Barbara, California| publisher = [[ABC-CLIO]]| isbn = 978-1-4408-6614-2| pages = 156–157}}</ref> but others indicate that it could have been Berry's regular pianist [[Johnnie Johnson (musician)|Johnnie Johnson]].<ref>{{Cite book| last = Rothwell| first = Fred| title = Long Distance Information: Chuck Berry's Recording Legacy| year = 2001| isbn = | page = }}</ref> In 1956, he recorded two unreleased tracks with [[Big Walter Horton]] and Robert Lockwood.<ref>Leadbitter, M.; Fancourt, L.; Pelletier, P. (1994). ''Blues Records 1943–1970'', vol. 2. London: Record Information Services.</ref> He recorded a session with the guitarist [[Robert Lockwood, Jr.]] and vocalist [[St. Louis Jimmy Oden|St. Louis Jimmy]] in New York on August 23, 1960, which was issued on the albums ''Otis Spann Is the Blues'' and ''Walking the Blues''. A 1963 session, Good Morning Mr. Blues, for [[Storyville Records]] was recorded in [[Copenhagen]]. He worked with Muddy Waters and [[Eric Clapton]] on recordings for [[Decca Records|Decca]]<ref>Roberty, Marc (1993). ''Eric Clapton: The Complete Recording Sessions 1963–1995''. New York: St. Martin’s Press. p. 16.</ref> and with [[James Cotton]] for Prestige in 1964.
''The Blues Is Where It's At'', Spann's 1966 album for ABC-Bluesway, includes contributions from [[George "Harmonica" Smith]], Muddy Waters, and [[Sammy Lawhorn]]. ''The Bottom of the Blues'' (1967), featuring Spann's wife, [[Lucille Spann]] (June 23, 1938 – August 2, 1994), was released by Bluesway. He worked on albums with [[Buddy Guy]], [[Big Mama Thornton]], [[Peter Green (musician)|Peter Green]], and [[Fleetwood Mac]] in the late 1960s. In 2012, Silk City Records released '' Someday'' which featured live and studio performances from 1967 produced by the noted blues guitarist [[Son Lewis]].
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