Otis Redding
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Otis Redding (September 9, 1941 – December 10, 1967) was an influential American deep soul singer, known for his passionate delivery and his posthumous hit single, "(Sittin' On) the Dock of the Bay", also one of his most respected tracks.
The native of Macon, Georgia was working in the music business with Johnny Jenkins in the early 1960s, recording "These Arms of Mine" in 1962. The song became a minor hit on Volt Records, a subsidiary of renowned "Southern soul" label Stax, based in Memphis, Tennessee. Otis Redding continued to release for Volt/Stax, and built his fanbase by extensively touring a legendarily electrifying live show with support from fellow Stax artists Sam and Dave. Further hits between 1964 and 1966 included "Mr. Pitiful", "I Can't Turn You Loose", "Try a Little Tenderness", "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" (The Rolling Stones song), and "Respect" (later a smash hit for Aretha Franklin).
Redding wrote many of his own songs, which was unusual for the time, often with Steve Cropper (of Stax house band Booker T & the MG's, who usually served as Otis' backing band in the studio). One of his few songs with a significant mainstream following was "Tramp" (1967) with Carla Thomas. Later that year, Redding played at the massively influential Monterey Pop Festival.
"(Sittin' on) the Dock of the Bay" became famous a year after his death when his plane crashed into Lake Monona which makes up one side of Madison, Wisconsin's isthmus, along with The Bar-Kays, his backup band. It was his first #1 single and first million-seller. A few further records were posthumously released, including "Hard to Handle" (1968).
His sons Dexter and Otis II founded together with cousin Mark Locket the funk/disco-band "The Reddings" in the late 1970s.
Sample
- Download sample of "Mr. Pitiful"
External links
- Otis Redding (http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:k8ogtq6ztu45) at All Music Guidede:Otis Redding
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