Otis Redding
Encyclopedia
Otis Ray Redding, Jr. was an American soul
singer-songwriter
, record producer
, arranger and talent scout. He is considered one of the major figures in soul and R&B. His open-throated singing was an influence on other soul singers of the 1960s, and he helped to craft the lean and powerful style of rhythm and blues
that formed the basis of the Stax Sound
. After appearing at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival
, he wrote and recorded "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay
", which went on to become a number-one record on both the pop and R&B charts after his death in a plane crash.
Redding was born and raised in the American state of Georgia
. At age 15 he left school to help his family financially, working with Little Richards's backing band The Upsetters, and playing talent shows for prize money. In 1958 he joined Johnny Jenkins
's band, The Pinetoppers, and toured the Southern United States
, with Redding as the driver. An unscheduled appearance on a session led to a turning point in his career. He signed a contract with record label Stax Records
and released his debut album Pain in My Heart in 1964. This album produced his first single on Stax, "These Arms of Mine".
Although he was more popular among blacks early in his career, he later became equally popular among whites. Initially, he performed small gigs in the South, until he and his group performed at the nightclub Whisky a Go Go
, their first concert in the Western United States. Internationally, Redding performed in Paris and London among other venues. Redding's death was devastating for Stax, which was verging on bankruptcy
. Later Stax discovered that Atlantic owned the rights to the entire catalog. Redding won numerous awards posthumously, including the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award
and induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
. His legacy remains solid; he received the honorific, "King of Soul".
. He sometimes worked weekends as a part-time preacher. When Redding was three, the family moved to nearby Macon
into the Tindall Heights Housing Project, a public housing
project for blacks. For a short time they lived in a small house in Bellevue, but when it burned down they moved back to Tindall. At an early age he sang in Vineville Baptist Church
choir and learned guitar and piano. From the age of 10 he took drum and singing lessons. Later at Ballard-Hudson High School
, he sang in a school band. Every Sunday he earned US$6 by playing songs for Macon radio station WIBB
. He loved singing, and later cited Little Richard
and Sam Cooke
as major influences. Redding later said, "If it hadn't been for Little Richard, I would not be here. I entered the music business because of Richard – he is my inspiration. I used to sing like Little Richard, his Rock 'n' Roll stuff, you know. Richard has soul, too. My present music has a lot of him in it."
At 15 he abandoned school to help his family financially. His father had tuberculosis
and was often in hospital, leaving his mother as the bread-winner. Redding worked as a well digger, gas station attendant and guest musician. Another inspiration was the pianist Gladdy Williams, a well-known Macon musician. She often performed at Hillview Springs Social Club, and Redding sometimes played piano there. She hosted talent shows on Sundays, and Redding accompanied his friends from the neighborhood, such as Little Willie Jones
and Eddie Ross, the latter on bass guitar. But his breakthrough came when he played Little Richard's "Heebie Jeebies", winning a $5 contest fifteen weeks in a row, until being banned. Redding was soon hired by Little Richard's band The Upsetters. He earned a good wage at about US$25 per gig, but he did not stay for long.
In 1958 Redding had the opportunity to compete on disc jockey Hamp Swain
's "The Teenage Party", a music contest at the Roxy Theatre, then at the Douglass Theatre
. His backing band was not professional, so attendee Johnny Jenkins
offered help. Jenkins later worked as lead guitarist and played with Redding on several gigs; with Jenkins help, he won the contest every week. Shortly afterwards, he was invited to replace Willie Jones, frontman
of Pat Teacake's Band, featuring Jenkins on guitar. At the age of 19 Redding met 15-year-old Zelma Atwood at "The Teenage Party". She gave birth to Reddings son, Dexter, in the summer of 1960 and married Redding in August 1961. In mid-1960 he moved to Los Angeles with his sister, Deborah Redding, and wrote his first songs including "She's Allright", "Tuff Enuff", "I'm Gettin' Hip" and "Gamma Lamma", the first later released as a single.
, especially on the Chitlin' circuit
. These performance venues were safe for African-American musicians during the age of racial segregation
which lasted into the early 1960s. Jenkins left the band to become the featured artist with The Pinetoppers. Around this time, Redding met Phil Walden
, the future founder of the recording company Phil Walden and Associates, and later Bobby Smith, who ran Confederate Records, a small label. He signed with Confederate and recorded his second single, "Shout Bamalama" (a rewrite of "Gamma Lamma"), together with his band "Otis and the Shooters". Wayne Cochran
, the only solo artist signed to Confederate, became Pinetoppers' bass guitarist.
Next, Redding wrote the song, "These Arms of Mine", his first single for Stax
. At the same time, Walden started to look for a record label. Atlantic Records
representative Joe Galkin
was interested in working with Jenkins and proposed to send him to a Stax studio in Memphis. On the way to a Pinetoppers studio session, Redding drove for Jenkins, as the latter did not have a driver's license. Jenkins performed with Booker T. & the M.G.'s
, and when the session ended early, Redding received the opportunity to perform two songs. The first was "Hey Hey Baby", studio chief Jim Stewart
however thought it sounded too much like Little Richard. The next one was "These Arms of Mine", featuring Jenkins on guitar and Steve Cropper
on piano. Stewart later praised Redding's performance of the latter song and noted, "Everybody was fixin' to go home, but Joe Galkin insisted we give Otis a listen. There was something different about [the ballad]. He really poured his soul into it." Stewart signed Redding for Stax and released "These Arms of Mine", with "Hey Hey Baby" on the B-side. It became his most successful song, selling more than 800,000 copies.
Redding's debut album Pain in My Heart was released on January 1, 1964 by Stax. Some songs, such as "These Arms of Mine" and "Security", later charted successfully as singles. The title track sparked some copyright issues, as it sounded like Irma Thomas
' "Ruler of My Heart". Despite this, the album peaked at number 20 on the Billboard R&B chart and at number 85 on the Billboard Hot 100
. As the majority of the songs released after "Security" had a slow tempo, several disc jockeys labelled Otis Redding, "Mr. Pitiful". Subsequently Cropper and Redding wrote a song with that name and included it on Redding's second studio album, The Great Otis Redding Sings Soul Ballads
, released in March 1965.
In 1965 Redding co-wrote the song "I've Been Loving You Too Long
" together with lead singer of The Impressions, Jerry Butler
, in a hotel near the Atlanta airport. In the summer of 1965, Redding and the studio crew arranged new songs for Redding's next album. Over July 9–10 all songs except "I've Been Loving You" were written in exactly 24 hours in Memphis. Two of the eleven songs, "Ole Man Trouble
" and "Respect
", had been finished earlier. "Respect" and "I've Been Loving You" were later recut in stereo during the Otis Blue-session, with the remarkable change that on the first song the line "hey hey hey" was sung by Earl Sims and not by Redding, while the latter song was completely rewritten. The album, entitled Otis Blue: Otis Redding Sings Soul
, was released in September 1965.
, Johnnie Taylor
, Clarence Carter
and Eddie Floyd
, and together with Redding they founded the production companies "Jotis Records" (derived from Joe Galkin and Otis) and Redwal Music (derived from Redding and Walden). Their audience had been mostly black, but musicians like The Beatles
were Stax/Volt fans, encouraging Redding to perform for a big, white audience. They chose Whisky a Go Go
on the Sunset Strip
in Los Angeles. Redding would be one of the first soul artists to perform in the Western United States. His performance received critical acclaim, including positive press in Los Angeles Times
, and pushed Redding further into the mainstream. Bob Dylan
attended and offered him an altered version of Dylan's song "Just Like A Woman
", but Redding did not record it. It was the biggest mistake of his career, according to a private press release issued on September 8, 2011 for a special exhibit at the Stax Museum
.
In late 1966 Redding returned to the Stax studio. On this session he recorded tracks like "Try a Little Tenderness
", originally written by Jimmy Campbell, Reg Connelly and Harry M. Woods
in 1932. Today this is often considered to be his signature song
. Jim Stewart said, "If there's one song, one performance that really sort of sums up Otis and what he's about, it's 'Try a Little Tenderness'. That one performance is so special and so unique that it expresses who he is... If you want to wrap it up, just listen to [it]". On this version Redding was backed by Booker T. & the MG's, and staff producer Isaac Hayes
worked on the arrangement. "Try a Little Tenderness" was included on his next album, Complete & Unbelievable: The Otis Redding Dictionary of Soul
. Although the song was commercially successful – it peaked at number 25 on Billboard's Hot 100
chart and at number 4 on R&B singles
chart – the album did not. In search of a wider audience, Walden and his crew organized a tour to London, where R&B was popular thanks to artists like The Rolling Stones
and The Beatles, who had covered various R&B songs. In the winter of 1966, booking agent Bill Graham
proposed that Redding play at the Fillmore Theatre. The performance was commercially and critically successful, prompting Graham to remark afterwards, "That was the best gig I ever put on in my entire life."
A year after the Fillmore, Redding released the studio album King & Queen
, backed by Carla Thomas
on vocals. He returned to Europe to perform at the Olympia Theatre
in Paris. The album entitled Otis Redding: Live in Europe was released three months later featuring this performance. Other live performances were in London and Stockholm
. Redding was criticized for his arrogant and contrived performances in these last concerts. His controversial decision to take Arthur Conley
on the tour instead of artists such as Rufus Thomas
and William Bell
received bad responses. Al Bell
was active in the Stax reorganization. He undertook routine business and managed tours for Redding among others, the latter task formerly done by Estelle Baxton, Stewart's sister. He was later hired as the new A&R
head, replacing Steve Cropper
, as the crew thought he would act superior.
as the closing act on Saturday night, the second day of the festival. He was included on the bill through the efforts of promoter Jerry Wexler
, who saw the festival as an opportunity to advance Redding's career. Until that point, Redding had performed mainly for black audiences, other than the shows at the Whisky a Go Go
. Redding's act, well received by the audience, included his own song "Respect
" and a version of the Stones
' "Satisfaction
". Redding and his backing band (Booker T and the MGs with the Mar-Keys
horn section
) opened with Cooke's "Shake
" before Redding delivered an impulsive speech in which he asked the audience if they were the "love crowd", looking for a big response
. The ballad "I've Been Loving You" followed. The last song was "Try a Little Tenderness", with an additional chorus. With a last "I got to go, y'all, I don't wanna go", Redding left the stage. This would be his last major concert.
After Monterey, Redding wanted to record with his close friend Arthur Conley, but Stax was against the idea. The two moved from Memphis to Macon to continue writing. The result was "Sweet Soul Music
", based on Sam Cooke's "Yeah Man". It peaked at number two on Billboard Hot 100
.
on his larynx
, which he tried to treat with tea and lemon or honey. He was hospitalized in September 1967 to undergo surgery. In the winter of 1967, he again recorded at Stax. One new song was "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay
", written by Cropper and Redding while staying with friend Earl "Speedo" Sims in a houseboat in Sausalito near San Francisco, California
. Redding was inspired by the Beatles album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
, and tried to create a similar sound, against the label's wishes, and his wife was dissatisfied with its atypical melody. Redding wanted to change his musical style to avoid boring his audience. The Stax crew were similarly dissatisfied; Stewart thought that it was not R&B, while bassist Donald "Duck" Dunn thought its sound would damage Stax's reputation. However, Redding thought it was the best song he ever wrote and would top the charts. Redding whistled at the end, either intending to add lyrics later, forgetting Cropper's ending rap, or meant as an intentional interpretation. Redding died just three days later.
The group had begun to fly on Redding's Beechcraft H18
to gigs. They flew to Nashville, and on December 9, 1967 appeared on the nationally-syndicated Upbeat
television show produced in Cleveland. They played three concerts in two nights at a small club called Leo's Casino. On the next day they played at the "Factory" nightclub near the University of Wisconsin after opening act
"The Grim Reapers", precursor of Cheap Trick
.
After a phone call with his wife and children, Redding's next stop was in Madison, Wisconsin
. The weather was poor, with heavy rain and fog, and he had been warned to postpone the flight. Four miles from their destination at Truax Field
, Fraser radioed for permission to land. Shortly thereafter, the plane crashed into Lake Monona
. Ben Cauley, one of The Bar-Kays
and the accident's only survivor, was sleeping shortly before the accident. He woke just before impact, and saw his bandmate Phalon Jones
look out a window and exclaim, "Oh, no!" Cauley said the last thing he remembered before the crash was unbuckling his seat belt. He then found himself in frigid water, grasping a seat cushion to keep afloat. The cause of the crash was never precisely determined. The only other Bar-Kays to survive were James Alexander and Carl Sims, demoted to a commercial flight for lack of room on the H18. Andrew Love
and Wayne Jackson
of The Memphis Horns
had earlier declined to take part in the tour.
Redding's body was recovered the next day when the lake bed was searched. The funeral service took place at the City Auditorium in Macon, attended by many prominent musicians. More than 4,500 people came to the obsequy, overflowing the 3,000-seat hall, although many did not know who he was. Johnny Jenkins
did not come, fearing his reaction would be worse than Zelma Redding's. Redding was entombed on his ranch in Round Oak, about 20 miles (32.2 km) north of Macon. Jerry Wexler
delivered the eulogy.
In 2007, a memorial plaque was placed on the lakeside deck of the Madison convention center, Monona Terrace
. "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" was released in January 1968 and became Redding's only number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100
, and the first posthumous number-one single in US chart history. It sold about 4 million copies worldwide and received more than 8 million airplays. The album The Dock of the Bay
was the first posthumous album to reach the top spot on the UK Albums Chart
.
Stax was required to renegotiate its distribution deal, and found that Atlantic actually owned the entire Stax/Volt catalog. Stax was unable to regain the rights to its recordings, and severed its relationship with Atlantic.
Atlantic also held the rights to all unreleased Otis Redding masters. It had enough material for three new studio albums – The Immortal Otis Redding (1968), Love Man (1969), and Tell the Truth (1970) – all issued on its Atco Records
. A number of successful singles emerged from these LPs, among them "Amen
" (1968), "Hard to Handle
" (1968), "I've Got Dreams to Remember" (1968), "Love Man" (1969), and "Look at That Girl" (1969). Singles were also lifted from two live Atlantic-issued Redding albums, In Person at the Whisky a Go Go
, recorded in 1966 and issued in 1968 on Atco, and Monterey International Pop Festival, a Reprise Records
release featuring some of the live Monterey Pop Festival performances of The Jimi Hendrix Experience
on side one and all of Redding's performances on side two.
In September 2007, the first official DVD anthology of Redding's live performances was released by Concord Music Group
, then owners of the Stax catalog. Dreams To Remember: The Legacy of Otis Redding featured 16 full-length performances and 40 minutes of new interviews documenting his life and career. On May 18, 2010, Stax Records released a three-disc recording of three complete sets that he played at the Whisky a Go Go in April 1966.
and Sam Cooke
, remains one of the most recognized artists in soul music. His lean and powerful style exemplified the Stax Sound
, and gave Stax a new identity; he was sometimes said to be its "heart and soul", while artists such as Al Jackson
, Duck Dunn and Steve Cropper
also helped to expand its structure. His tremolo
/vibrato
, the manic, electrifying stage performances, and honesty were particular hallmark
s, along with the use of interjections, for example "gotta, gotta, gotta", some of which came from Sam Cooke. Producer Jim Stewart thought the "begging singing" was stress-induced and also caused by Redding's extreme, early shyness. Early on he copied the singing style of Little Richard, one of his idols, but gradually developed his own style. He was primarily influenced by soul musicians such as Little Richard
and Sam Cooke
, whose live album Live at the Copa was a strong influence, but later explored different genres that were popular during his time. He studied contemporary music of The Beatles, Bob Dylan, and later also rock music
by artists such as Eric Clapton
and Jimi Hendrix
, as can be heard in songs like "Hard to Handle
", which contains rock and roll
elements.
Another characteristic was his raw voice and the ability to convey strong emotion. Richie Unterberger
of Allmusic noted his "hoarse, gritty vocals, brassy arrangements, an emotional way with both party tunes and aching ballads." In the book Rock and Roll: An Introduction, authors Michael Campbell and James Brody suggested that "Redding's singing calls to mind a fervent black preacher. Especially in up-tempo numbers, his singing is more than impassioned speech but less than singing with precise pitch
." According to the book, "Redding finds a rough midpoint between impassioned oratory
and conventional singing. His delivery overflows with emotion" in his song "I Can't Turn You Loose
". Booker T. Jones
, an American musician, described Otis' singing as energetic and emotional, but said that his vocal range was limited, including neither low nor high notes. Peter Buckley of The Rough Guide To Rock describes his "gruff voice, which combined Sam Cooke's phrasing with a brawnier delivery" and later suggested he "could testify like a hell-bent preacher, croon like a tender lover or get down and dirty with a bluesy yawp".
Although he mostly covered songs, he also wrote or co-wrote a few, such as "Respect", "(Sittin' on) The Dock of the Bay" or "Security". Most of lyrics of his songs were about love, leading to his nickname of "Mr. Pitiful". In "(Sittin' on) The Dock of the Bay" he abandoned the romantic themes and replaced them with "sad, wistful introspections, amplified by unforgettable descending guitar riffs by Cropper". On the official website of the Songwriter's Hall of Fame, it was suggested that the song "was a kind of brooding, dark voicing of despair, ('I've got nothin' to live for/Look like nothin' gonna come my way'" as "his music, in general, was exultant and joyful". According to the journalist Ruth Rob, author of the liner notes for the 1993 box-set by Rhino Records, "It is currently a revisionist theory to equate soul with the darker side of man's musical expression, blues. That fanner of the flame of 'Trouble's got a hold on me' music, might well be the father of the form if it is, the glorified exaltation found in church on any Sunday morning is its mother." And further on the site declares that "glorified exaltation indeed was an apt description of Otis Redding's songwriting and singing style." Booker T. Jones compared Redding with Leonard Bernstein
, as he meant "He was the same type person. He was a leader. He'd just lead with his arms and his body and his fingers."
Artists from many genres named Redding as a musical influence, including The Grateful Dead, The Black Crowes
, Pearl Jam
, Lynyrd Skynyrd
, The Doors
, Steely Dan
, Phish
, Everclear
; soul/R&B musicians Al Green
, Etta James
and William Bell
; musicians from the late 20th century John Mayer
, Christine Aguilera, Kelly Clarkson
; and musical artists from other genres, such as Willie Nelson
, Rod Stewart
, Michael Bolton
, Kanye West
(who mixed
his songs, which appeared on "Gone
" and "Otis
", the latter together with Jay-Z
), Toots Hibbert
of Toots & The Maytals
, Bob Dylan
, Guy Sebastian
, and Janis Joplin
and have covered Redding songs.
, where he was inducted in 1989, declared Redding's name to be "synonymous with the term soul, music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel
and rhythm and blues
into a form of funky, secular testifying." Readers of the British music newspaper Melody Maker
voted him as the top vocalist of 1967, superseding Elvis Presley
, who had topped the list for the prior 10 years. In 1993, the U.S. Post Office issued an Otis Redding 29-cent commemorative postage stamp
. Redding was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame
in 1994, and in 1999 he received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award
. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
listed three Redding recordings ("Shake
", "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay
", and "Try a Little Tenderness
") among its list of "The 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll." American music magazine Rolling Stone
ranked Redding at number 21 on their list of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time" and number 8 on their list of the "100 Greatest Singers of All Time". Q
ranked Redding at number 4 on "100 Greatest Singers", after only Frank Sinatra
, Aretha Franklin
and Elvis Presley
, respectively.
Five of his albums, Otis Blue: Otis Redding Sings Soul, Dreams to Remember: The Otis Redding Anthology
, The Dock of the Bay, Complete & Unbelievable: The Otis Redding Dictionary of Soul and Live in Europe, were ranked by the aforementioned magazine on their list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time". The first album was singled out for praise by music critics; apart from the Rolling Stone listing at number 74, NME
ranked it 35 on their list of the "Greatest Albums of All Time", while Time
listed it on their "100 Greatest Albums of All Time" list. In 2002, the city of Macon honored its native son by unveiling a memorial statue in the city's Gateway Park. The park is next to the Otis Redding Memorial Bridge, which crosses the Ocmulgee River
. The Rhythm and Blues Foundation
named Redding as the recipient of its 2006 Legacy Award. Billboard awarded Redding the "Otis Redding Excellence Award" the same year. In commemoration of the 40th anniversary of Redding's passing, the Georgia Music Hall of Fame
presented from September 14, 2007 through September 10, 2008 the first major exhibition of music, photographs, film and artifacts documenting the singer's life and musical legacy. The exhibition was named "Museum Exhibition of the Year" by the Georgia Association of Museums and Galleries in January 2008.
Posthumous studio albums
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
, record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, arranger and talent scout. He is considered one of the major figures in soul and R&B. His open-throated singing was an influence on other soul singers of the 1960s, and he helped to craft the lean and powerful style of rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
that formed the basis of the Stax Sound
Stax Records
Stax Records is an American record label, originally based in Memphis, Tennessee.Founded in 1957 as Satellite Records, the name Stax Records was adopted in 1961. The label was a major factor in the creation of the Southern soul and Memphis soul music styles, also releasing gospel, funk, jazz, and...
. After appearing at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival
Monterey Pop Festival
The Monterey International Pop Music Festival was a three-day concert event held June 16 to June 18, 1967 at the Monterey County Fairgrounds in Monterey, California...
, he wrote and recorded "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay
(Sittin' on) the Dock of the Bay
" The Dock of the Bay" is a song co-written by soul singer Otis Redding and guitarist Steve Cropper. It was first recorded by Otis Redding in 1967, just days before his death. It was released posthumously on Stax Records' Volt label in 1968, becoming the first posthumous number-one single in U.S...
", which went on to become a number-one record on both the pop and R&B charts after his death in a plane crash.
Redding was born and raised in the American state of Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
. At age 15 he left school to help his family financially, working with Little Richards's backing band The Upsetters, and playing talent shows for prize money. In 1958 he joined Johnny Jenkins
Johnny Jenkins
Johnny Edward Jenkins was an American left-handed blues guitarist, who helped launch the career of Otis Redding...
's band, The Pinetoppers, and toured the Southern United States
Southern United States
The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...
, with Redding as the driver. An unscheduled appearance on a session led to a turning point in his career. He signed a contract with record label Stax Records
Stax Records
Stax Records is an American record label, originally based in Memphis, Tennessee.Founded in 1957 as Satellite Records, the name Stax Records was adopted in 1961. The label was a major factor in the creation of the Southern soul and Memphis soul music styles, also releasing gospel, funk, jazz, and...
and released his debut album Pain in My Heart in 1964. This album produced his first single on Stax, "These Arms of Mine".
Although he was more popular among blacks early in his career, he later became equally popular among whites. Initially, he performed small gigs in the South, until he and his group performed at the nightclub Whisky a Go Go
Whisky a Go Go
The Whisky a Go Go is a nightclub in West Hollywood, California, United States. It is located at 8901 Sunset Boulevard, on the Sunset Strip.-History:...
, their first concert in the Western United States. Internationally, Redding performed in Paris and London among other venues. Redding's death was devastating for Stax, which was verging on bankruptcy
Bankruptcy
Bankruptcy is a legal status of an insolvent person or an organisation, that is, one that cannot repay the debts owed to creditors. In most jurisdictions bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor....
. Later Stax discovered that Atlantic owned the rights to the entire catalog. Redding won numerous awards posthumously, including the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award
Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award
The Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award is awarded by the Recording Academy to "performers who, during their lifetimes, have made creative contributions of outstanding artistic significance to the field of recording."...
and induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is a museum located on the shore of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It is dedicated to archiving the history of some of the best-known and most influential artists, producers, engineers and others who have, in some major way,...
. His legacy remains solid; he received the honorific, "King of Soul".
Early life
Redding was born in the small town of Dawson, Georgia to gospel singer Otis Redding, Sr., and housekeeper Fannie Redding. His father had worked as a sharecropper and then at Robins Air Force BaseRobins Air Force Base
Robins Air Force Base is a major United States Air Force base located in Houston County, Georgia, United States. The base is located just east of and adjacent to the city of Warner Robins, Georgia, SSE of Macon, Georgia, and about SSE of Atlanta, Georgia...
. He sometimes worked weekends as a part-time preacher. When Redding was three, the family moved to nearby Macon
Macon, Georgia
Macon is a city located in central Georgia, US. Founded at the fall line of the Ocmulgee River, it is part of the Macon metropolitan area, and the county seat of Bibb County. A small portion of the city extends into Jones County. Macon is the biggest city in central Georgia...
into the Tindall Heights Housing Project, a public housing
Public housing
Public housing is a form of housing tenure in which the property is owned by a government authority, which may be central or local. Social housing is an umbrella term referring to rental housing which may be owned and managed by the state, by non-profit organizations, or by a combination of the...
project for blacks. For a short time they lived in a small house in Bellevue, but when it burned down they moved back to Tindall. At an early age he sang in Vineville Baptist Church
Vineville Baptist Church
Vineville Baptist Church is a church in Macon, Georgia. Its sister church is Vineville North Baptist Church, founded as a mission of Vineville Baptist Church.In 1963, the church, under Pastor Dr. Walter L...
choir and learned guitar and piano. From the age of 10 he took drum and singing lessons. Later at Ballard-Hudson High School
Ballard-Hudson High School
Ballard-Hudson High School is a high school in Macon, Georgia. Several buildings have existed on the site. In 1949, the Ballard Hudson Senior High School was established here and at the time was the only school for African Americans in grades 9-12 in Macon...
, he sang in a school band. Every Sunday he earned US$6 by playing songs for Macon radio station WIBB
WIBB (AM)
WIBB is a radio station broadcasting a Talk radio format. Licensed to Macon, Georgia, USA. The station is currently owned by Clear Channel Communications and licensed to AMFM Radio Licenses, LLC.-History:...
. He loved singing, and later cited Little Richard
Little Richard
Richard Wayne Penniman , known by the stage name Little Richard, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, recording artist, and actor, considered key in the transition from rhythm and blues to rock and roll in the 1950s. He was also the first artist to put the funk in the rock and roll beat and...
and Sam Cooke
Sam Cooke
Samuel Cook, , better known under the stage name Sam Cooke, was an American gospel, R&B, soul, and pop singer, songwriter, and entrepreneur. He is considered to be one of the pioneers and founders of soul music. He is commonly known as the King of Soul for his distinctive vocal abilities and...
as major influences. Redding later said, "If it hadn't been for Little Richard, I would not be here. I entered the music business because of Richard – he is my inspiration. I used to sing like Little Richard, his Rock 'n' Roll stuff, you know. Richard has soul, too. My present music has a lot of him in it."
At 15 he abandoned school to help his family financially. His father had tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
and was often in hospital, leaving his mother as the bread-winner. Redding worked as a well digger, gas station attendant and guest musician. Another inspiration was the pianist Gladdy Williams, a well-known Macon musician. She often performed at Hillview Springs Social Club, and Redding sometimes played piano there. She hosted talent shows on Sundays, and Redding accompanied his friends from the neighborhood, such as Little Willie Jones
Little Willie Jones
Little Willie Jones was an American soul singer and musician. He recorded songs such as "You're Welcome to Try" and "The – When Will I Stop Lovin' You" with...
and Eddie Ross, the latter on bass guitar. But his breakthrough came when he played Little Richard's "Heebie Jeebies", winning a $5 contest fifteen weeks in a row, until being banned. Redding was soon hired by Little Richard's band The Upsetters. He earned a good wage at about US$25 per gig, but he did not stay for long.
In 1958 Redding had the opportunity to compete on disc jockey Hamp Swain
Hamp Swain
Hamp "King Bee" Swain was a radio DJ on WIBB in Macon, Georgia. He was born in Macon, where he attended the college for a short time and later worked as an insurance agent in Atlanta Life. Swain hosted live programms, dances for teenagers and gigs, some of which were sponsored by Atlana Life...
's "The Teenage Party", a music contest at the Roxy Theatre, then at the Douglass Theatre
Douglass Theatre
The Douglass Theatre is a live performance/motion picture venue located in downtown Macon, Georgia. It is currently operated by the City of Macon and is available to be rented out for a variety of public and private events...
. His backing band was not professional, so attendee Johnny Jenkins
Johnny Jenkins
Johnny Edward Jenkins was an American left-handed blues guitarist, who helped launch the career of Otis Redding...
offered help. Jenkins later worked as lead guitarist and played with Redding on several gigs; with Jenkins help, he won the contest every week. Shortly afterwards, he was invited to replace Willie Jones, frontman
Lead vocalist
The lead vocalist is the member of a band who sings the main vocal portions of a song. They may also play one or more instruments. Lead vocalists are sometimes referred to as the frontman or frontwoman, and as such, are usually considered to be the "leader" of the groups they perform in, often the...
of Pat Teacake's Band, featuring Jenkins on guitar. At the age of 19 Redding met 15-year-old Zelma Atwood at "The Teenage Party". She gave birth to Reddings son, Dexter, in the summer of 1960 and married Redding in August 1961. In mid-1960 he moved to Los Angeles with his sister, Deborah Redding, and wrote his first songs including "She's Allright", "Tuff Enuff", "I'm Gettin' Hip" and "Gamma Lamma", the first later released as a single.
Early career
As a member of Teacake's Band, Redding toured in the Southern United StatesSouthern United States
The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...
, especially on the Chitlin' circuit
Chitlin' circuit
The "Chitlin' Circuit" was the collective name given to the string of performance venues throughout the eastern and southern United States that were safe and acceptable for African-American musicians, comedians, and other entertainers to perform during the age of racial segregation in the United...
. These performance venues were safe for African-American musicians during the age of racial segregation
Racial segregation in the United States
Racial segregation in the United States, as a general term, included the racial segregation or hypersegregation of facilities, services, and opportunities such as housing, medical care, education, employment, and transportation along racial lines...
which lasted into the early 1960s. Jenkins left the band to become the featured artist with The Pinetoppers. Around this time, Redding met Phil Walden
Phil Walden
Phil Walden was co-founder of the Macon, Georgia-based Capricorn Records with his younger brother Alan Walden and a good friend and former Atlantic Records executive, Frank Fenter....
, the future founder of the recording company Phil Walden and Associates, and later Bobby Smith, who ran Confederate Records, a small label. He signed with Confederate and recorded his second single, "Shout Bamalama" (a rewrite of "Gamma Lamma"), together with his band "Otis and the Shooters". Wayne Cochran
Wayne Cochran
Wayne Cochran is an American soul singer, known for his outlandish outfits and white pompadour. He is sometimes referred to as The White Knight of Soul....
, the only solo artist signed to Confederate, became Pinetoppers' bass guitarist.
Next, Redding wrote the song, "These Arms of Mine", his first single for Stax
Stax Records
Stax Records is an American record label, originally based in Memphis, Tennessee.Founded in 1957 as Satellite Records, the name Stax Records was adopted in 1961. The label was a major factor in the creation of the Southern soul and Memphis soul music styles, also releasing gospel, funk, jazz, and...
. At the same time, Walden started to look for a record label. Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
representative Joe Galkin
Joe Galkin
Joe Galkin was a Russian-born American record producer and musician, best known for his producing at Atlantic Records and his own Gerald Record label and work with Otis Redding and Phil Walden...
was interested in working with Jenkins and proposed to send him to a Stax studio in Memphis. On the way to a Pinetoppers studio session, Redding drove for Jenkins, as the latter did not have a driver's license. Jenkins performed with Booker T. & the M.G.'s
Booker T. & the M.G.'s
Booker T. & the M.G.'s is an instrumental R&B band that was influential in shaping the sound of southern soul and Memphis soul. Original members of the group were Booker T. Jones , Steve Cropper , Lewie Steinberg , and Al Jackson, Jr....
, and when the session ended early, Redding received the opportunity to perform two songs. The first was "Hey Hey Baby", studio chief Jim Stewart
Jim Stewart (music)
Jim Stewart is a former record company executive and producer who co-founded Stax Records.- Biography :Raised on a farm in Middleton, Tennessee, Stewart moved to Memphis in 1948, after graduating from high school. He worked at Sears, at First National Bank, and then was drafted into the United...
however thought it sounded too much like Little Richard. The next one was "These Arms of Mine", featuring Jenkins on guitar and Steve Cropper
Steve Cropper
Steve Cropper , also known as Steve "The Colonel" Cropper, is an American guitarist, songwriter and record producer. He is best known as the guitarist of the Stax Records house band, Booker T...
on piano. Stewart later praised Redding's performance of the latter song and noted, "Everybody was fixin' to go home, but Joe Galkin insisted we give Otis a listen. There was something different about [the ballad]. He really poured his soul into it." Stewart signed Redding for Stax and released "These Arms of Mine", with "Hey Hey Baby" on the B-side. It became his most successful song, selling more than 800,000 copies.
Redding's debut album Pain in My Heart was released on January 1, 1964 by Stax. Some songs, such as "These Arms of Mine" and "Security", later charted successfully as singles. The title track sparked some copyright issues, as it sounded like Irma Thomas
Irma Thomas
Irma Thomas is an American Grammy Award-winning soul and rhythm and blues singer from New Orleans. She is known as the "Soul Queen of New Orleans"....
' "Ruler of My Heart". Despite this, the album peaked at number 20 on the Billboard R&B chart and at number 85 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
. As the majority of the songs released after "Security" had a slow tempo, several disc jockeys labelled Otis Redding, "Mr. Pitiful". Subsequently Cropper and Redding wrote a song with that name and included it on Redding's second studio album, The Great Otis Redding Sings Soul Ballads
The Great Otis Redding Sings Soul Ballads
-Appearance in other media:The song, "For Your Precious Love", a cover of a song by Jerry Butler, can be heard entirely at the very beginning of the French thriller film Tell No One by Guillaume Canet and is integrated to the film soundtrack.-References:...
, released in March 1965.
In 1965 Redding co-wrote the song "I've Been Loving You Too Long
I've Been Loving You Too Long
"I've Been Loving You Too Long" is a song written by Otis Redding and Jerry Butler. It appeared as the A-side of a 1965 hit single by Otis Redding - and subsequently appeared on his third album, Otis Blue: Otis Redding Sings Soul...
" together with lead singer of The Impressions, Jerry Butler
Jerry Butler (singer)
Jerry Butler is an American soul singer and songwriter. He is also noted as being the original lead singer of the R&B vocal group, The Impressions, as well as a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee.Butler is also an American politician...
, in a hotel near the Atlanta airport. In the summer of 1965, Redding and the studio crew arranged new songs for Redding's next album. Over July 9–10 all songs except "I've Been Loving You" were written in exactly 24 hours in Memphis. Two of the eleven songs, "Ole Man Trouble
Ole Man Trouble
"Ole Man Trouble" is a song written by Otis Redding and the first track from his 1965 album Otis Blue: Otis Redding Sings Soul. It was released as the B-side to his hit single "Respect", the second track from Otis Blue. The song is a sign of Redding's emerging mature and reflective side that was to...
" and "Respect
Respect (song)
"Respect" is a song written and originally released by Stax recording artist Otis Redding in 1965. "Respect" became a 1967 hit and signature song for R&B singer Aretha Franklin. The music in the two versions is significantly different, and through a few minor changes in the lyrics, the stories told...
", had been finished earlier. "Respect" and "I've Been Loving You" were later recut in stereo during the Otis Blue-session, with the remarkable change that on the first song the line "hey hey hey" was sung by Earl Sims and not by Redding, while the latter song was completely rewritten. The album, entitled Otis Blue: Otis Redding Sings Soul
Otis Blue: Otis Redding Sings Soul
Otis Blue: Otis Redding Sings Soul is the third studio album by soul singer Otis Redding, released September 15, 1965 on Stax Records. Most recording sessions took place in April and July 1965 at Stax Recording Studios in Memphis, Tennessee. The album is considered by many critics to be Redding's...
, was released in September 1965.
Whisky a Go Go and "Try a Little Tenderness"
Redding's success let him buy a 300 acres (1.2 km²) ranch in Georgia, calling it the "Big O Ranch" (which was extended to a 460 acres (1.9 km²) area after his death). Stax was also doing well; Walden signed more and more musicians, including Percy SledgePercy Sledge
Percy Sledge is an American R&B and soul performer who recorded the hit "When a Man Loves a Woman" in 1966.-Early career:...
, Johnnie Taylor
Johnnie Taylor
Johnnie Harrison Taylor was an American vocalist in a wide variety of genres, from rhythm and blues, soul, blues and gospel to pop, doo-wop and disco.-Early years:...
, Clarence Carter
Clarence Carter
Clarence Carter is a blind American soul singer and musician.-Life and career:Born in Montgomery, Alabama on 14 January 1936, Carter attended the Alabama School for the Blind in Talladega, Alabama, and Alabama State College in Montgomery, graduating in August 1960 with a Bachelor of Science degree...
and Eddie Floyd
Eddie Floyd
Eddie Lee Floyd is an American soul/R&B singer and songwriter, best known for his work on the Stax record label in the 1960s and 1970s and the song "Knock on Wood".-Biography:...
, and together with Redding they founded the production companies "Jotis Records" (derived from Joe Galkin and Otis) and Redwal Music (derived from Redding and Walden). Their audience had been mostly black, but musicians like The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
were Stax/Volt fans, encouraging Redding to perform for a big, white audience. They chose Whisky a Go Go
Whisky a Go Go
The Whisky a Go Go is a nightclub in West Hollywood, California, United States. It is located at 8901 Sunset Boulevard, on the Sunset Strip.-History:...
on the Sunset Strip
Sunset Strip
The Sunset Strip is the name given to the mile-and-a-half stretch of Sunset Boulevard that passes through West Hollywood, California. It extends from West Hollywood's eastern border with Hollywood at Harper Avenue, to its western border with Beverly Hills at Sierra Drive...
in Los Angeles. Redding would be one of the first soul artists to perform in the Western United States. His performance received critical acclaim, including positive press in Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
, and pushed Redding further into the mainstream. Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
attended and offered him an altered version of Dylan's song "Just Like A Woman
Just Like a Woman
Just Like a Woman is a 1992 British film by Christopher Monger starring Julie Walters, Adrian Pasdar and Paul Freeman. Gerald, a finance executive , finds himself thrown out by his wife when she discovers women's underwear in their flat; in fact the clothes belong to him. He takes lodgings with...
", but Redding did not record it. It was the biggest mistake of his career, according to a private press release issued on September 8, 2011 for a special exhibit at the Stax Museum
Stax Museum
The Stax Museum of American Soul Music is a museum located in Memphis, Tennessee, at 926 McLemore Avenue, the former location of Stax Records. It is operated by Soulsville USA, which also operates the adjacent Stax Music Academy.-History:...
.
In late 1966 Redding returned to the Stax studio. On this session he recorded tracks like "Try a Little Tenderness
Try a Little Tenderness
"Try a Little Tenderness" is a love song written by Jimmy Campbell, Reg Connelly and Harry M. Woods, and recorded initially on December 8, 1932 by the Ray Noble Orchestra followed by both Ruth Etting and Bing Crosby in 1933...
", originally written by Jimmy Campbell, Reg Connelly and Harry M. Woods
Harry M. Woods
Henry MacGregor Woods was a Tin Pan Alley songwriter and pianist. Woods is sometimes credited as Harry Woods.-Early life:...
in 1932. Today this is often considered to be his signature song
Signature song
A signature song is the one song that a popular and well-established singer or band is most closely identified with or best known for, even if they have had success with a variety of songs...
. Jim Stewart said, "If there's one song, one performance that really sort of sums up Otis and what he's about, it's 'Try a Little Tenderness'. That one performance is so special and so unique that it expresses who he is... If you want to wrap it up, just listen to [it]". On this version Redding was backed by Booker T. & the MG's, and staff producer Isaac Hayes
Isaac Hayes
Isaac Lee Hayes, Jr. was an American songwriter, musician, singer and actor. Hayes was one of the creative influences behind the southern soul music label Stax Records, where he served both as an in-house songwriter and as a record producer, teaming with his partner David Porter during the...
worked on the arrangement. "Try a Little Tenderness" was included on his next album, Complete & Unbelievable: The Otis Redding Dictionary of Soul
Complete & Unbelievable: The Otis Redding Dictionary of Soul
- Personnel :* Joe Arnold – Tenor saxophone* Steve Cropper – Guitar* Donald "Duck" Dunn – Bass* Isaac Hayes – Keyboards* Al Jackson, Jr. – Drums* Wayne Jackson – Trumpet* Booker T. Jones – Bass, Keyboards, Vibraphone* Andrew Love – Tenor saxophone...
. Although the song was commercially successful – it peaked at number 25 on Billboard's Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart and at number 4 on R&B singles
Billboard charts
The Billboard charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs or albums in the United States. The results are published in Billboard magazine...
chart – the album did not. In search of a wider audience, Walden and his crew organized a tour to London, where R&B was popular thanks to artists like The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
and The Beatles, who had covered various R&B songs. In the winter of 1966, booking agent Bill Graham
Bill Graham (promoter)
Bill Graham was an American impresario and rock concert promoter from the 1960s until his death.-Early life:...
proposed that Redding play at the Fillmore Theatre. The performance was commercially and critically successful, prompting Graham to remark afterwards, "That was the best gig I ever put on in my entire life."
A year after the Fillmore, Redding released the studio album King & Queen
King & Queen
-Personnel:*Joe Arnold – alto sax*Steve Cropper – guitar*Donald "Duck" Dunn – bass*Isaac Hayes – keyboards*Al Jackson, Jr. – drums*Wayne Jackson – trumpet*Booker T. Jones – keyboards*Andrew Love – tenor sax...
, backed by Carla Thomas
Carla Thomas
Carla Thomas is an American singer, who is often referred to as the Queen of Memphis Soul. She is the daughter of Rufus Thomas.-Childhood:...
on vocals. He returned to Europe to perform at the Olympia Theatre
Paris Olympia
The Olympia is a music hall in the 9th arrondissement of Paris. Located at No. 28, Boulevard des Capucines, its closest métro/RER stations are Madeleine, Opéra, Havre – Caumartin and Auber....
in Paris. The album entitled Otis Redding: Live in Europe was released three months later featuring this performance. Other live performances were in London and Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
. Redding was criticized for his arrogant and contrived performances in these last concerts. His controversial decision to take Arthur Conley
Arthur Conley
Arthur Lee Conley was an American soul singer, best known for the 1967 hit "Sweet Soul Music".-Career:...
on the tour instead of artists such as Rufus Thomas
Rufus Thomas
Rufus Thomas, Jr. was an American rhythm and blues, funk and soul singer and comedian fromMemphis, Tennessee, who recorded on Sun Records in the...
and William Bell
William Bell (singer)
William Bell is an American soul singer and songwriter, and one of the architects of the Stax-Volt sound. As a performer, he is probably best known for 1961's "You Don't Miss Your Water" ; 1968's "Private Number" ; and 1976's "Tryin' To Love Two", Bell's only US top 40 hit, which also hit #1 on the...
received bad responses. Al Bell
Al Bell
Al Bell is an American record producer, songwriter, and record executive. Bell is best known as one of the key figures behind and a co-owner of Memphis, Tennessee-based Stax Records during the latter half of the label's nineteen-year existence...
was active in the Stax reorganization. He undertook routine business and managed tours for Redding among others, the latter task formerly done by Estelle Baxton, Stewart's sister. He was later hired as the new A&R
A&R
Artists and repertoire is the division of a record label that is responsible for talent scouting and overseeing the artistic development of recording artists. It also acts as a liaison between artists and the record label.- Finding talent :...
head, replacing Steve Cropper
Steve Cropper
Steve Cropper , also known as Steve "The Colonel" Cropper, is an American guitarist, songwriter and record producer. He is best known as the guitarist of the Stax Records house band, Booker T...
, as the crew thought he would act superior.
Live at Monterey
In 1967 Redding performed at the influential Monterey Pop FestivalMonterey Pop Festival
The Monterey International Pop Music Festival was a three-day concert event held June 16 to June 18, 1967 at the Monterey County Fairgrounds in Monterey, California...
as the closing act on Saturday night, the second day of the festival. He was included on the bill through the efforts of promoter Jerry Wexler
Jerry Wexler
Gerald "Jerry" Wexler was a music journalist turned music producer, and was regarded as one of the major record industry players behind music from the 1950s through the 1980s...
, who saw the festival as an opportunity to advance Redding's career. Until that point, Redding had performed mainly for black audiences, other than the shows at the Whisky a Go Go
Whisky a Go Go
The Whisky a Go Go is a nightclub in West Hollywood, California, United States. It is located at 8901 Sunset Boulevard, on the Sunset Strip.-History:...
. Redding's act, well received by the audience, included his own song "Respect
Respect (song)
"Respect" is a song written and originally released by Stax recording artist Otis Redding in 1965. "Respect" became a 1967 hit and signature song for R&B singer Aretha Franklin. The music in the two versions is significantly different, and through a few minor changes in the lyrics, the stories told...
" and a version of the Stones
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
' "Satisfaction
(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction
" Satisfaction" is a song by the English rock band The Rolling Stones, released in 1965. It was written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards and produced by Andrew Loog Oldham. Richards's throwaway three-note guitar riff — intended to be replaced by horns — opens and drives the song...
". Redding and his backing band (Booker T and the MGs with the Mar-Keys
Mar-Keys
The Mar-Keys, formed in 1958, were an American studio session band for the Stax label from Memphis, Tennessee, in the 1960s. As the first house band for the label, their backing music formed the foundation for the early 1960s Stax sound.-Career:...
horn section
Horn section
In music, a horn section can refer to several groups of musicians. It can refer to the musicians in a symphony orchestra who play the horn . In a British-style brass band it refers to the tenor horn players. In popular music, it can also refer to a small group of wind instrumentalists who augment a...
) opened with Cooke's "Shake
Shake (Sam Cooke song)
"Shake" is a song written and recorded by Sam Cooke .The song was also recorded by Eric Burdon and The Animals, Otis Redding, The Supremes...
" before Redding delivered an impulsive speech in which he asked the audience if they were the "love crowd", looking for a big response
Call and response
Call and response is a form of "spontaneous verbal and non-verbal interaction between speaker and listener in which all of the statements are punctuated by expressions from the listener."...
. The ballad "I've Been Loving You" followed. The last song was "Try a Little Tenderness", with an additional chorus. With a last "I got to go, y'all, I don't wanna go", Redding left the stage. This would be his last major concert.
After Monterey, Redding wanted to record with his close friend Arthur Conley, but Stax was against the idea. The two moved from Memphis to Macon to continue writing. The result was "Sweet Soul Music
Sweet Soul Music
Sweet Soul Music is the second album of New Zealand RnB artist, Aaradhna released in 2008 on Valentine's Day.-Track listing:#"Didn't I "#"I Want You Back"#"Betcha By Golly Wow"#"You Are The Sunshine Of My Life"...
", based on Sam Cooke's "Yeah Man". It peaked at number two on Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
.
"(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" and death
Redding developed polypsPolyp (medicine)
A polyp is an abnormal growth of tissue projecting from a mucous membrane. If it is attached to the surface by a narrow elongated stalk, it is said to be pedunculated. If no stalk is present, it is said to be sessile. Polyps are commonly found in the colon, stomach, nose, sinus, urinary bladder...
on his larynx
Larynx
The larynx , commonly called the voice box, is an organ in the neck of amphibians, reptiles and mammals involved in breathing, sound production, and protecting the trachea against food aspiration. It manipulates pitch and volume...
, which he tried to treat with tea and lemon or honey. He was hospitalized in September 1967 to undergo surgery. In the winter of 1967, he again recorded at Stax. One new song was "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay
(Sittin' on) the Dock of the Bay
" The Dock of the Bay" is a song co-written by soul singer Otis Redding and guitarist Steve Cropper. It was first recorded by Otis Redding in 1967, just days before his death. It was released posthumously on Stax Records' Volt label in 1968, becoming the first posthumous number-one single in U.S...
", written by Cropper and Redding while staying with friend Earl "Speedo" Sims in a houseboat in Sausalito near San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
. Redding was inspired by the Beatles album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band is the eighth studio album by the English rock band The Beatles, released on 1 June 1967 on the Parlophone label and produced by George Martin...
, and tried to create a similar sound, against the label's wishes, and his wife was dissatisfied with its atypical melody. Redding wanted to change his musical style to avoid boring his audience. The Stax crew were similarly dissatisfied; Stewart thought that it was not R&B, while bassist Donald "Duck" Dunn thought its sound would damage Stax's reputation. However, Redding thought it was the best song he ever wrote and would top the charts. Redding whistled at the end, either intending to add lyrics later, forgetting Cropper's ending rap, or meant as an intentional interpretation. Redding died just three days later.
The group had begun to fly on Redding's Beechcraft H18
Beechcraft Model 18
The Beechcraft Model 18, or "Twin Beech", as it is better known, is a 6-11 seat, twin-engine, low-wing, conventional-gear aircraft that was manufactured by the Beech Aircraft Corporation of Wichita, Kansas...
to gigs. They flew to Nashville, and on December 9, 1967 appeared on the nationally-syndicated Upbeat
Upbeat (TV series)
Upbeat was a syndicated musical variety show produced in Cleveland, Ohio, United States, at WEWS-TV that aired from 1964 to 1971 which spotlighted on the performers and their hit songs of the 1960s Top 40 pop music genre which was common on such AM radio stations as WIXY in Cleveland and CKLW in...
television show produced in Cleveland. They played three concerts in two nights at a small club called Leo's Casino. On the next day they played at the "Factory" nightclub near the University of Wisconsin after opening act
Opening act
An opening act or warm-up act is an entertainer or entertainment act that performs at a concert before the featured entertainer...
"The Grim Reapers", precursor of Cheap Trick
Cheap Trick
Cheap Trick is an American rock band from Rockford, Illinois, formed in 1973. The band consists of members Robin Zander , Rick Nielsen , Tom Petersson , and Bun E...
.
After a phone call with his wife and children, Redding's next stop was in Madison, Wisconsin
Madison, Wisconsin
Madison is the capital of the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Dane County. It is also home to the University of Wisconsin–Madison....
. The weather was poor, with heavy rain and fog, and he had been warned to postpone the flight. Four miles from their destination at Truax Field
Dane County Regional Airport
-Statistics:-External links:* Dane County Regional Airport: * Wisconsin Airport Directory: * * - Listen live to Madison's Air Traffic Control...
, Fraser radioed for permission to land. Shortly thereafter, the plane crashed into Lake Monona
Lake Monona
Lake Monona is a freshwater drainage lake in Dane County, Wisconsin surrounded on three sides by the city of Madison, Wisconsin and on the south side by the city of Monona, Wisconsin. It is the second-largest of a chain of four lakes along the Yahara River in the area and forms the south shore of...
. Ben Cauley, one of The Bar-Kays
Bar-Kays
The Bar-Kays are a popular soul, R&B, and funk group who began performing in 1966 and continue to perform today, although with only one original member. The group had dozens of charting singles from the 1960s to the 1980s, including "Soul Finger" The Bar-Kays are a popular soul, R&B, and funk group...
and the accident's only survivor, was sleeping shortly before the accident. He woke just before impact, and saw his bandmate Phalon Jones
Phalon Jones
Phalon Jones was an American Soul and R&B musician.Jones was a saxophonist for The Bar-Kays musical group, which recorded with and also played backup for Otis Redding. James Alexander has described Jones as "the ladies' man" of the group...
look out a window and exclaim, "Oh, no!" Cauley said the last thing he remembered before the crash was unbuckling his seat belt. He then found himself in frigid water, grasping a seat cushion to keep afloat. The cause of the crash was never precisely determined. The only other Bar-Kays to survive were James Alexander and Carl Sims, demoted to a commercial flight for lack of room on the H18. Andrew Love
Andrew Love
Andrew Love is an American actor and voice actor who work for Funimation Entertainment, ADV Films, Seraphim Digital, and OkraTron 5000. He graduated from the University of Houston with a B.A. degree in acting and directing...
and Wayne Jackson
Wayne Jackson
Wayne Jackson is best known for his tenure as the CEO of the Australian Football League 1996 to 2003.- SANFL :Jackson played 71 games for West Torrens Football Club in the South Australian National Football League from 1965 to 1971 ....
of The Memphis Horns
The Memphis Horns
The Memphis Horns are an American horn section made famous by their many appearances on Stax Records. They have been called "arguably the greatest soul horn section ever." Originally a sextet, the Memphis Horns gradually slimmed down to a duo, Wayne Jackson on trumpet and Andrew Love on tenor...
had earlier declined to take part in the tour.
Redding's body was recovered the next day when the lake bed was searched. The funeral service took place at the City Auditorium in Macon, attended by many prominent musicians. More than 4,500 people came to the obsequy, overflowing the 3,000-seat hall, although many did not know who he was. Johnny Jenkins
Johnny Jenkins
Johnny Edward Jenkins was an American left-handed blues guitarist, who helped launch the career of Otis Redding...
did not come, fearing his reaction would be worse than Zelma Redding's. Redding was entombed on his ranch in Round Oak, about 20 miles (32.2 km) north of Macon. Jerry Wexler
Jerry Wexler
Gerald "Jerry" Wexler was a music journalist turned music producer, and was regarded as one of the major record industry players behind music from the 1950s through the 1980s...
delivered the eulogy.
In 2007, a memorial plaque was placed on the lakeside deck of the Madison convention center, Monona Terrace
Monona Terrace
Monona Terrace is a convention center on the shores of Lake Monona in Madison, Wisconsin.-Controversy:...
. "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" was released in January 1968 and became Redding's only number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
, and the first posthumous number-one single in US chart history. It sold about 4 million copies worldwide and received more than 8 million airplays. The album The Dock of the Bay
The Dock of the Bay
-Chart positions:-External links:*...
was the first posthumous album to reach the top spot on the UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
.
Posthumous releases
Shortly after Redding's death, Atlantic Records, distributor of the Stax/Volt releases, was purchased by Warner Bros.Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
Stax was required to renegotiate its distribution deal, and found that Atlantic actually owned the entire Stax/Volt catalog. Stax was unable to regain the rights to its recordings, and severed its relationship with Atlantic.
Atlantic also held the rights to all unreleased Otis Redding masters. It had enough material for three new studio albums – The Immortal Otis Redding (1968), Love Man (1969), and Tell the Truth (1970) – all issued on its Atco Records
Atco Records
ATCO Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, currently operating through WMG's Rhino Entertainment.-Beginnings:Atco Records was founded in 1955 as a division of Atlantic Records. It was devised as an outlet for productions by one of Atlantic's founders, Herb Abramson, who...
. A number of successful singles emerged from these LPs, among them "Amen
Amen (The Impressions song)
"Amen" was a song popularized by The Impressions. The song was written by Jester Hairston, for the Sidney Poitier film Lilies of the Field . Curtis Mayfield said "I'd gone to see 'Lilies of The Field,' and the song in it, 'Amen,' was very inspiring for me as was the movie . . . Of course, I'd...
" (1968), "Hard to Handle
Hard to Handle (song)
"Hard to Handle" is a 1968 song originally recorded by Otis Redding and written by Redding, Al Bell and Allen Jones. It was released posthumously after Redding's death in 1967 on the album The Immortal Otis Redding...
" (1968), "I've Got Dreams to Remember" (1968), "Love Man" (1969), and "Look at That Girl" (1969). Singles were also lifted from two live Atlantic-issued Redding albums, In Person at the Whisky a Go Go
In Person at the Whisky a Go Go
-Personnel:* Otis Redding – vocals* James Young – guitar* Robert Holloway – tenor saxophone* Robert Pittman – tenor saxophone* Donald Henry – tenor saxophone* Sammy Coleman – trumpet* John Farris – trumpet* Clarence Johnson – trombone...
, recorded in 1966 and issued in 1968 on Atco, and Monterey International Pop Festival, a Reprise Records
Reprise Records
Reprise Records is an American record label, founded in 1960 by Frank Sinatra. It is owned by Warner Music Group, and operated through Warner Bros. Records.-Beginnings:...
release featuring some of the live Monterey Pop Festival performances of The Jimi Hendrix Experience
The Jimi Hendrix Experience
The Jimi Hendrix Experience were an English-American psychedelic rock band that formed in London in October 1966. Comprising eponymous singer-songwriter and guitarist Jimi Hendrix, bassist and backing vocalist Noel Redding and drummer Mitch Mitchell, the band was active until June 1969, in which...
on side one and all of Redding's performances on side two.
In September 2007, the first official DVD anthology of Redding's live performances was released by Concord Music Group
Concord Music Group
Concord Music Group is a record company owned by Village Roadshow formed in 2004 by the merger of Concord Records and Fantasy Records. In 2005, the company acquired the classics and jazz label Telarc International. On December 18, 2006, Concord announced the re-launch of the soul label Stax;...
, then owners of the Stax catalog. Dreams To Remember: The Legacy of Otis Redding featured 16 full-length performances and 40 minutes of new interviews documenting his life and career. On May 18, 2010, Stax Records released a three-disc recording of three complete sets that he played at the Whisky a Go Go in April 1966.
Legacy
Otis Redding, who received the honorific, "King of Soul", a title also given to James BrownJames Brown
James Joseph Brown was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and recording artist. He is the originator of Funk and is recognized as a major figure in the 20th century popular music for both his vocals and dancing. He has been referred to as "The Godfather of Soul," "Mr...
and Sam Cooke
Sam Cooke
Samuel Cook, , better known under the stage name Sam Cooke, was an American gospel, R&B, soul, and pop singer, songwriter, and entrepreneur. He is considered to be one of the pioneers and founders of soul music. He is commonly known as the King of Soul for his distinctive vocal abilities and...
, remains one of the most recognized artists in soul music. His lean and powerful style exemplified the Stax Sound
Stax Records
Stax Records is an American record label, originally based in Memphis, Tennessee.Founded in 1957 as Satellite Records, the name Stax Records was adopted in 1961. The label was a major factor in the creation of the Southern soul and Memphis soul music styles, also releasing gospel, funk, jazz, and...
, and gave Stax a new identity; he was sometimes said to be its "heart and soul", while artists such as Al Jackson
Al Jackson
Al Jackson, Jr. was a drummer, producer, and songwriter. He is best known as a founding member of Booker T. & the M.G.s, a group of session musicians who worked for Stax Records and produced their own instrumentals...
, Duck Dunn and Steve Cropper
Steve Cropper
Steve Cropper , also known as Steve "The Colonel" Cropper, is an American guitarist, songwriter and record producer. He is best known as the guitarist of the Stax Records house band, Booker T...
also helped to expand its structure. His tremolo
Tremolo
Tremolo, or tremolando, is a musical term that describes various trembling effects, falling roughly into two types. The first is a rapid reiteration...
/vibrato
Vibrato
Vibrato is a musical effect consisting of a regular, pulsating change of pitch. It is used to add expression to vocal and instrumental music. Vibrato is typically characterised in terms of two factors: the amount of pitch variation and the speed with which the pitch is varied .-Vibrato and...
, the manic, electrifying stage performances, and honesty were particular hallmark
Hallmark
A hallmark is an official mark or series of marks struck on items made of precious metals — platinum, gold, silver and in some nations, palladium...
s, along with the use of interjections, for example "gotta, gotta, gotta", some of which came from Sam Cooke. Producer Jim Stewart thought the "begging singing" was stress-induced and also caused by Redding's extreme, early shyness. Early on he copied the singing style of Little Richard, one of his idols, but gradually developed his own style. He was primarily influenced by soul musicians such as Little Richard
Little Richard
Richard Wayne Penniman , known by the stage name Little Richard, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, recording artist, and actor, considered key in the transition from rhythm and blues to rock and roll in the 1950s. He was also the first artist to put the funk in the rock and roll beat and...
and Sam Cooke
Sam Cooke
Samuel Cook, , better known under the stage name Sam Cooke, was an American gospel, R&B, soul, and pop singer, songwriter, and entrepreneur. He is considered to be one of the pioneers and founders of soul music. He is commonly known as the King of Soul for his distinctive vocal abilities and...
, whose live album Live at the Copa was a strong influence, but later explored different genres that were popular during his time. He studied contemporary music of The Beatles, Bob Dylan, and later also rock music
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
by artists such as Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE, is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and...
and Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
, as can be heard in songs like "Hard to Handle
Hard to Handle (song)
"Hard to Handle" is a 1968 song originally recorded by Otis Redding and written by Redding, Al Bell and Allen Jones. It was released posthumously after Redding's death in 1967 on the album The Immortal Otis Redding...
", which contains rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
elements.
Another characteristic was his raw voice and the ability to convey strong emotion. Richie Unterberger
Richie Unterberger
Richie Unterberger is a US author and journalist whose focus is popular music and travel writing.-Life and writing:Having worked as a DJ at WXPN in Philadelphia, he started reviewing records for Op magazine in 1983...
of Allmusic noted his "hoarse, gritty vocals, brassy arrangements, an emotional way with both party tunes and aching ballads." In the book Rock and Roll: An Introduction, authors Michael Campbell and James Brody suggested that "Redding's singing calls to mind a fervent black preacher. Especially in up-tempo numbers, his singing is more than impassioned speech but less than singing with precise pitch
Pitch (music)
Pitch is an auditory perceptual property that allows the ordering of sounds on a frequency-related scale.Pitches are compared as "higher" and "lower" in the sense associated with musical melodies,...
." According to the book, "Redding finds a rough midpoint between impassioned oratory
Oratory
Oratory is a type of public speaking.Oratory may also refer to:* Oratory , a power metal band* Oratory , a place of worship* a religious order such as** Oratory of Saint Philip Neri ** Oratory of Jesus...
and conventional singing. His delivery overflows with emotion" in his song "I Can't Turn You Loose
I Can't Turn You Loose
"I Can't Turn You Loose" is a song written and first recorded by American soul singer Otis Redding. It was released as the B-side to his 1965 single "Just One More Day"...
". Booker T. Jones
Booker T. Jones
Booker T. Jones is a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, record producer and arranger, best known as the frontman of the band Booker T. and the MGs. He has also worked in the studios with many well-known artists of the 20th and 21st centuries, earning him a Grammy Award for lifetime...
, an American musician, described Otis' singing as energetic and emotional, but said that his vocal range was limited, including neither low nor high notes. Peter Buckley of The Rough Guide To Rock describes his "gruff voice, which combined Sam Cooke's phrasing with a brawnier delivery" and later suggested he "could testify like a hell-bent preacher, croon like a tender lover or get down and dirty with a bluesy yawp".
Although he mostly covered songs, he also wrote or co-wrote a few, such as "Respect", "(Sittin' on) The Dock of the Bay" or "Security". Most of lyrics of his songs were about love, leading to his nickname of "Mr. Pitiful". In "(Sittin' on) The Dock of the Bay" he abandoned the romantic themes and replaced them with "sad, wistful introspections, amplified by unforgettable descending guitar riffs by Cropper". On the official website of the Songwriter's Hall of Fame, it was suggested that the song "was a kind of brooding, dark voicing of despair, ('I've got nothin' to live for/Look like nothin' gonna come my way'" as "his music, in general, was exultant and joyful". According to the journalist Ruth Rob, author of the liner notes for the 1993 box-set by Rhino Records, "It is currently a revisionist theory to equate soul with the darker side of man's musical expression, blues. That fanner of the flame of 'Trouble's got a hold on me' music, might well be the father of the form if it is, the glorified exaltation found in church on any Sunday morning is its mother." And further on the site declares that "glorified exaltation indeed was an apt description of Otis Redding's songwriting and singing style." Booker T. Jones compared Redding with Leonard Bernstein
Leonard Bernstein
Leonard Bernstein August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was an American conductor, composer, author, music lecturer and pianist. He was among the first conductors born and educated in the United States of America to receive worldwide acclaim...
, as he meant "He was the same type person. He was a leader. He'd just lead with his arms and his body and his fingers."
Artists from many genres named Redding as a musical influence, including The Grateful Dead, The Black Crowes
The Black Crowes
The Black Crowes are an American rock band formed in 1989. Their discography includes nine studio albums, four live albums and several charting singles. The band was signed to Def American Recordings in 1989 by producer George Drakoulias and released their debut album, Shake Your Money Maker, the...
, Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam is an American rock band that formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. Since its inception, the band's line-up has included Eddie Vedder , Jeff Ament , Stone Gossard , and Mike McCready...
, Lynyrd Skynyrd
Lynyrd Skynyrd
Lynyrd Skynyrd is an American rock band prominent in spreading Southern Rock during the 1970s.Originally formed as the "Noble Five" in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1964, the band rose to worldwide recognition on the basis of its driving live performances and signature tune, Freebird...
, The Doors
The Doors
The Doors were an American rock band formed in 1965 in Los Angeles, California, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, drummer John Densmore, and guitarist Robby Krieger...
, Steely Dan
Steely Dan
Steely Dan is an American rock band; its core members are Donald Fagen and Walter Becker. The band's popularity peaked in the late 1970s, with the release of seven albums blending elements of jazz, rock, funk, R&B, and pop...
, Phish
Phish
Phish is an American rock band noted for its musical improvisation, extended jams, and exploration of music across genres. Formed at the University of Vermont in 1983 , the band's four members – Trey Anastasio , Mike Gordon , Jon Fishman , and Page McConnell Phish is an American rock band...
, Everclear
Everclear (band)
Everclear is a rock band formed in Portland, Oregon in 1992 best known for their radio hits spanning more than a decade. For most of its existence, Everclear has consisted of Art Alexakis , Craig Montoya , and Greg Eklund . Eklund replaced original drummer Scott Cuthbert in 1994...
; soul/R&B musicians Al Green
Al Green
Albert Greene , better known as Al Green, is an American gospel and soul music singer. He reached the peak of his popularity in the 1970s, with hit singles such as "You Oughta Be With Me", "I'm Still In Love With You", "Love and Happiness", and "Let's Stay Together"...
, Etta James
Etta James
Etta James is an American blues, soul, rhythm and blues , rock and roll, gospel and jazz singer. In the 1950s and 1960s, she had her biggest success as a blues and R&B singer...
and William Bell
William Bell (singer)
William Bell is an American soul singer and songwriter, and one of the architects of the Stax-Volt sound. As a performer, he is probably best known for 1961's "You Don't Miss Your Water" ; 1968's "Private Number" ; and 1976's "Tryin' To Love Two", Bell's only US top 40 hit, which also hit #1 on the...
; musicians from the late 20th century John Mayer
John Mayer
John Clayton Mayer is an American pop rock and blues rock musician, singer-songwriter, recording artist, and music producer. Born in Bridgeport, Connecticut and raised in Fairfield, Connecticut, he attended Berklee College of Music in Boston. He moved to Atlanta in 1997, where he refined his...
, Christine Aguilera, Kelly Clarkson
Kelly Clarkson
Kelly Brianne Clarkson is an American pop rock singer-songwriter and actress. Clarkson came into prominence after becoming the winner of the inaugural season of the television series American Idol in 2002 and would later become the runner-up in the television special World Idol in 2003.In 2003,...
; and musical artists from other genres, such as Willie Nelson
Willie Nelson
Willie Hugh Nelson is an American country music singer-songwriter, as well as an author, poet, actor, and activist. The critical success of the album Shotgun Willie , combined with the critical and commercial success of Red Headed Stranger and Stardust , made Nelson one of the most recognized...
, Rod Stewart
Rod Stewart
Roderick David "Rod" Stewart, CBE is a British singer-songwriter and musician, born and raised in North London, England and currently residing in Epping. He is of Scottish and English ancestry....
, Michael Bolton
Michael Bolton
Michael Bolton is an American singer and songwriter. Bolton originally performed in the hard rock and heavy metal genres from the mid 1970s to the mid 1980s, both on his early solo albums and those recorded as the frontman of the band Blackjack...
, Kanye West
Kanye West
Kanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and...
(who mixed
Audio mixing (recorded music)
In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may...
his songs, which appeared on "Gone
Late Registration
Late Registration is the second studio album by American hip hop artist Kanye West, released August 30, 2005, on Roc-A-Fella Records. Recording sessions for the album took place over the course of a year at various recording studios located in New York City and Hollywood...
" and "Otis
Otis (song)
"Otis" is a single by American rappers Jay-Z and Kanye West from their collaboration album Watch the Throne, and is the fourth song on the tracklist. The song's existence, along with several other tracks from the album, was confirmed during a listening session hosted by Jay-Z on July 7. It was also...
", the latter together with Jay-Z
Jay-Z
Shawn Corey Carter , better known by his stage name Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is one of the most financially successful hip hop artists and entrepreneurs in America, having a net worth of over $450 million as of 2010...
), Toots Hibbert
Toots Hibbert
Frederick Nathaniel "Toots" Hibbert is a ska and roots reggae singer and leader of the reggae band Toots & the Maytals.-Biography:...
of Toots & The Maytals
Toots & the Maytals
Toots and the Maytals, originally called simply The Maytals, are a Jamaican musical group and one of the best known ska and reggae vocal groups. According to Sandra Brennan at Allmusic, "The Maytals were key figures in reggae music...
, Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
, Guy Sebastian
Guy Sebastian
Guy Theodore Sebastian is an Australian pop, R&B, and soul singer-songwriter who was the first winner of Australian Idol in 2003. He is currently a judge on the Australian version of The X Factor. Sebastian has released six top ten platinum/multi platinum albums, including a number-one and...
, and Janis Joplin
Janis Joplin
Janis Lyn Joplin was an American singer, songwriter, painter, dancer and music arranger. She rose to prominence in the late 1960s as the lead singer of Big Brother and the Holding Company and later as a solo artist with her backing groups, The Kozmic Blues Band and The Full Tilt Boogie Band...
and have covered Redding songs.
Awards and honors
The Rock and Roll Hall of FameRock and Roll Hall of Fame
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is a museum located on the shore of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It is dedicated to archiving the history of some of the best-known and most influential artists, producers, engineers and others who have, in some major way,...
, where he was inducted in 1989, declared Redding's name to be "synonymous with the term soul, music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel
Gospel music
Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
and rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
into a form of funky, secular testifying." Readers of the British music newspaper Melody Maker
Melody Maker
Melody Maker, published in the United Kingdom, was, according to its publisher IPC Media, the world's oldest weekly music newspaper. It was founded in 1926 as a magazine targeted at musicians; in 2000 it was merged into "long-standing rival" New Musical Express.-1950s–1960s:Originally the Melody...
voted him as the top vocalist of 1967, superseding Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
, who had topped the list for the prior 10 years. In 1993, the U.S. Post Office issued an Otis Redding 29-cent commemorative postage stamp
Postage stamp
A postage stamp is a small piece of paper that is purchased and displayed on an item of mail as evidence of payment of postage. Typically, stamps are made from special paper, with a national designation and denomination on the face, and a gum adhesive on the reverse side...
. Redding was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame
Inductees of the Songwriters Hall of Fame
This a list of inductees into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Dates of induction are given alongside the names.-A:*Adams, Lee *Adair, Tom *Adamson, Harold *Adler, Richard *Ager, Milton *Ahlert, Fred *Akst, Harry...
in 1994, and in 1999 he received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award
Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award
The Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award is awarded by the Recording Academy to "performers who, during their lifetimes, have made creative contributions of outstanding artistic significance to the field of recording."...
. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is a museum located on the shore of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It is dedicated to archiving the history of some of the best-known and most influential artists, producers, engineers and others who have, in some major way,...
listed three Redding recordings ("Shake
Shake (Sam Cooke song)
"Shake" is a song written and recorded by Sam Cooke .The song was also recorded by Eric Burdon and The Animals, Otis Redding, The Supremes...
", "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay
(Sittin' on) the Dock of the Bay
" The Dock of the Bay" is a song co-written by soul singer Otis Redding and guitarist Steve Cropper. It was first recorded by Otis Redding in 1967, just days before his death. It was released posthumously on Stax Records' Volt label in 1968, becoming the first posthumous number-one single in U.S...
", and "Try a Little Tenderness
Try a Little Tenderness
"Try a Little Tenderness" is a love song written by Jimmy Campbell, Reg Connelly and Harry M. Woods, and recorded initially on December 8, 1932 by the Ray Noble Orchestra followed by both Ruth Etting and Bing Crosby in 1933...
") among its list of "The 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll." American music magazine Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
ranked Redding at number 21 on their list of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time" and number 8 on their list of the "100 Greatest Singers of All Time". Q
Q (magazine)
Q is a popular music magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom.Founders Mark Ellen and David Hepworth were dismayed by the music press of the time, which they felt was ignoring a generation of older music buyers who were buying CDs — then still a new technology...
ranked Redding at number 4 on "100 Greatest Singers", after only Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
, Aretha Franklin
Aretha Franklin
Aretha Louise Franklin is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Although known for her soul recordings and referred to as The Queen of Soul, Franklin is also adept at jazz, blues, R&B, gospel music, and rock. Rolling Stone magazine ranked her atop its list of The Greatest Singers of All...
and Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
, respectively.
Five of his albums, Otis Blue: Otis Redding Sings Soul, Dreams to Remember: The Otis Redding Anthology
Dreams to Remember: The Otis Redding Anthology
-Personnel:*Otis Redding – vocals, guitar*Carla Thomas – vocals*Booker T. Jones – guitar, piano, electronic organ*Steve Cropper – guitar, piano, bass*Johnny Jenkins – guitar*Charles "Packy" Axton*Andrew Love*Joe Arnold*Gilbert Caples*Gene Parker...
, The Dock of the Bay, Complete & Unbelievable: The Otis Redding Dictionary of Soul and Live in Europe, were ranked by the aforementioned magazine on their list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time". The first album was singled out for praise by music critics; apart from the Rolling Stone listing at number 74, NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
ranked it 35 on their list of the "Greatest Albums of All Time", while Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
listed it on their "100 Greatest Albums of All Time" list. In 2002, the city of Macon honored its native son by unveiling a memorial statue in the city's Gateway Park. The park is next to the Otis Redding Memorial Bridge, which crosses the Ocmulgee River
Ocmulgee River
The Ocmulgee River is a tributary of the Altamaha River, approximately 255 mi long, in the U.S. state of Georgia...
. The Rhythm and Blues Foundation
Rhythm and Blues Foundation
The Rhythm and Blues Foundation is an independent American nonprofit organization dedicated to the historical and cultural preservation of rhythm and blues music....
named Redding as the recipient of its 2006 Legacy Award. Billboard awarded Redding the "Otis Redding Excellence Award" the same year. In commemoration of the 40th anniversary of Redding's passing, the Georgia Music Hall of Fame
Georgia Music Hall of Fame
The Georgia Music Hall of Fame, located in downtown Macon, Georgia, preserves and interprets the state's rich musical heritage through programs of collection, exhibition, education and performance...
presented from September 14, 2007 through September 10, 2008 the first major exhibition of music, photographs, film and artifacts documenting the singer's life and musical legacy. The exhibition was named "Museum Exhibition of the Year" by the Georgia Association of Museums and Galleries in January 2008.
Discography
Studio albums- Pain in My Heart (1964)
- The Great Otis Redding Sings Soul BalladsThe Great Otis Redding Sings Soul Ballads-Appearance in other media:The song, "For Your Precious Love", a cover of a song by Jerry Butler, can be heard entirely at the very beginning of the French thriller film Tell No One by Guillaume Canet and is integrated to the film soundtrack.-References:...
(1965) - Otis Blue: Otis Redding Sings SoulOtis Blue: Otis Redding Sings SoulOtis Blue: Otis Redding Sings Soul is the third studio album by soul singer Otis Redding, released September 15, 1965 on Stax Records. Most recording sessions took place in April and July 1965 at Stax Recording Studios in Memphis, Tennessee. The album is considered by many critics to be Redding's...
(1965) - The Soul AlbumThe Soul Album-Personnel:*Charles "Packy" Axton, Andrew Love: Tenor Sax*Floyd Newman: Baritone Sax*Sammie Coleman, Wayne Jackson, Gene Miller: Trumpet*Isaac Hayes, Booker T. Jones: Keyboards*Steve Cropper: Guitars*Donald "Duck" Dunn: Bass*Al Jackson, Jr.: Drums, Percussion...
(1966) - Complete & Unbelievable: The Otis Redding Dictionary of SoulComplete & Unbelievable: The Otis Redding Dictionary of Soul- Personnel :* Joe Arnold – Tenor saxophone* Steve Cropper – Guitar* Donald "Duck" Dunn – Bass* Isaac Hayes – Keyboards* Al Jackson, Jr. – Drums* Wayne Jackson – Trumpet* Booker T. Jones – Bass, Keyboards, Vibraphone* Andrew Love – Tenor saxophone...
(1966) - King & QueenKing & Queen-Personnel:*Joe Arnold – alto sax*Steve Cropper – guitar*Donald "Duck" Dunn – bass*Isaac Hayes – keyboards*Al Jackson, Jr. – drums*Wayne Jackson – trumpet*Booker T. Jones – keyboards*Andrew Love – tenor sax...
(1967)
Posthumous studio albums
- The Dock of the BayThe Dock of the Bay-Chart positions:-External links:*...
(1968) - The Immortal Otis ReddingThe Immortal Otis Redding-Chart history:...
(1968) - Love ManLove ManLove Man is a posthumously released Otis Redding album compiled from songs recorded in 1967. It contains the hit songs "Love Man" and "Free Me" .-Track listing:...
(1969) - Tell the TruthTell the Truth (Otis Redding album)Tell the Truth is the fourth and final posthumously released studio album by Otis Redding , featuring songs recorded in 1967.-Track listing:...
(1970)