Otis Redding

Otis Ray Redding, Jr. (September 9, 1941 – December 10, 1967) was an influential American deep soul singer, best known for his passionate delivery and posthumous hit single, "(Sittin' on) the Dock of the Bay."

Biography

Early life

Redding was born in the small town of Dawson, Georgia. At the age of 5 he moved with his family to Macon, Georgia. He sang in the choir of the Vineville Baptist Church, and became something of a local celebrity as a teenager after winning a local Sunday night talent show 15 weeks in a row.

Career

In 1960, Redding began touring the South with Johnny Jenkins and The Pinetoppers. That same year he made his first recordings, "She's All Right" and "Shout Bamalama" with this group under the name "Otis and The Shooters."

In 1962, he made his first real mark in the music business during a Johnny Jenkins session when he recorded "These Arms of Mine," a ballad that Redding had written. The song became a minor hit on Volt Records, a subsidiary of renowned "Southern soul" label Stax, based in Memphis, Tennessee. His manager was fellow Maconite Phil Walden (who later founded Capricorn Records). Otis Redding continued to release for Stax/Volt, 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" (to become The Blues Brothers entrance theme music), "Try a Little Tenderness," "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" (written by the Rolling Stones), 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). Soul singer Jerry Butler co-wrote another hit "I've Been Loving You Too Long." 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, which helped him to break into the white pop music scene.

Death

Redding and six others, including four of the six members of Redding's backup band, The Bar-Kays, were killed when the plane on which they were travelling crashed into Lake Monona in Madison, Wisconsin on December 10, 1967. The two remaining members of The Bar-Kays were Ben Cauley and James Alexander. Cauley was the only person aboard Redding's plane to survive the crash; Alexander was on another plane.

Cauley reported that he had been asleep until just seconds before impact, and recalled that upon waking he saw bandmate Phalon Jones look out a window and say, "Oh, no!" Cauley said that he then unbuckled his seat belt, and that was his final recollection before finding himself in the frigid waters of the lake, grasping a seat cushion to keep himself afloat.

Redding's body was recovered the next day when the lake bed was dragged with a grappling hook, and footage exists of his body being brought out of the water. [1] The cause of the crash was never precisely determined.

Redding was 26 years old at the time of his death. He was laid to rest in a tomb on his private ranch in Round Oak, Georgia, 23 miles (37 km) north of Macon.

After death

"(Sittin' on) the Dock of the Bay" was recorded only three days prior to Redding's death. It was released the next month and became his first #1 single and first million-seller. The fact that "(Sittin' on) the Dock of the Bay" ultimately became Redding's greatest commercial success was unexpected, not only because its release came after his death, but also because the song is actually a significant stylistic departure from the bulk of his other work. [2]

A few further records were posthumously released, including "Hard to Handle" (1968).

Drummer Mickey Jones has related a meeting between Redding and Bob Dylan in which Dylan played his new song "Just Like a Woman" for Redding. According to Jones, Redding was very impressed and told Dylan that he would record the song as soon as he could. However, Redding was killed before he could accomplish this.

Redding's sons Dexter and Otis III, together with cousin Mark Locket, founded the funk/disco-band "The Reddings" in 1978.

In 2002, the city of Macon honored its native son, unveiling a memorial statue of Redding in the city's Gateway Park.

In 2004, Rolling Stone Magazine ranked him #21 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time..

A likeness of Redding appears as an evil version of himself in Nightmares & Dreamscapes, in the story You Know They Got a Hell of a Band. Redding is portrayed as a police officer in the town of Rock N Roll Heaven, which is populated by late rock and roll legends.

Sample

• Download sample of "Mr. Pitiful"

Discography

Albums

• Pain in My Heart (1964, Atco) US: #103 UK: #28
• The Great Otis Redding Sings Soul Ballads (1965, Volt) US: #75 UK: #30
• Otis Blue (1965) US: #75 UK: #6
• The Soul Album (1966) US: #54 UK: #22
• Complete & Unbelievable: The Otis Redding Dictionary of Soul (1966) US: #73 UK: #23
• King & Queen (1967) with Carla Thomas US: #36 UK: #18
• Live in Europe (1967) US: #32 UK: #14
• The Dock of the Bay (1968) US: #4 UK: #1
• History of Otis Redding (1968) US: #9 UK: #2
• The Immortal Otis Redding (1968, Atco) US: #58 UK: #19
• In Person at the Whiskey A Go-Go (1968) US: #82
• Love Man (1969) US: #46
• Tell the Truth (1970) US: #200
• Live at the Monterey International Pop Festival (1971, Reprise) US: #16
• The Best of Otis Redding (1972) US: #76
• Remember Me (1992) Stax
• The Very Best of Otis Redding, Vol. 1 (1993)
• The Very Best of Otis Redding, Vol. 2 (1995)
• Very Best of Otis Redding (2002) UK: #26

Singles

• "Shout Bamalama" (1961)
• "Gettin' Hip" (1961, Alshire)
• "These Arms of Mine" (1962, Volt) R&B: #20 US: #85
• "That's What My Heart Needs" (1963) R&B: #27
• "Pain in My Heart" (1963) US: #61
• "Come to Me" (1964) US: #69
• "Security" (1964) US: #97
• "Chained and Bound" (1964) US: #70
• "Mr. Pitiful" (1964) R&B: #10 US: #41
• "Stand By Me" (1964)
• "Things Go Better With Coke..." (A Man And A Woman) [1964 Commercial]
• "I've Been Loving You Too Long" (1965) R&B: #2 US: #21
• "Just One More Day" (1965) b-side of I've Been... R&B: #15 US: #85
• "Respect" (1965) R&B: #4 US: #35
• "That's How Strong My Love Is" (1965) R&B: #18 US: #74
• "I Can't Turn You Loose" (1965) R&B: #11 UK: #29
• "My Girl" (1965)
• "A Change Is Gonna Come" (1965)
• "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" (1966) R&B: #4 US: #31 UK: #33
• "My Lover's Prayer" (1966) R&B: #10 US: #61 UK: #37
• "Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa (Sad Song)" (1966) R&B: #12 US: #29 UK: #23
• "Try a Little Tenderness" (1967) R&B: #4 US: #25
• "I Love You More Than Words Can Say" (1967) R&B: #30 US: #78
• "Shake" (1967) R&B: #16 US: #47 UK: #28
• "Glory of Love" (1967) R&B: #19 US: #60
• "Tramp" (1967, Stax) with Carla Thomas R&B: #2 US: #26 UK: #18
• "Knock on Wood" (1967) with Carla Thomas R&B: #8 US: #30 UK: #35
• "(Sittin' On) the Dock of the Bay" (1968, Volt) R&B: #1 US: #1 UK: #3
• "The Happy Song (Dum-Dum)" (1968) R&B: #10 US: #25 UK: #24
• "Amen" (1968, Atco) R&B: #15 US: #36
• "Hard to Handle" (1968) b-side of Amen R&B: #38 US: #51 UK: #15
• "I've Got Dreams to Remember" (1968) R&B: #6 US: #41
• "Lovey Dovey" (1968, Stax) with Carla Thomas R&B: #21 US: #60
• "White Christmas" (1968, Atco)
• "Merry Christmas, Baby" (1968) b-side of White Christmas US: #9
• "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag" (1968) R&B: #10 US: #21
• "When Something is Wrong With My Baby" (1969) with Carla Thomas
• "A Lover's Question" (1969) R&B: #20 US: #48
• "Love Man" (1969) R&B: #17 US: #72
• "Free Me" (1969) R&B: #30
• "Look at That Girl" (1969)
• "Demonstration" (1969)
• "Give Away None of My Love" (1970)
• "I've Been Loving You Too Long (Live)" (1971)

External links

• http://www.otisredding.com official site Retrieved June 19, 2007.
• Otis Redding at All Music Guide Retrieved June 19, 2007.
• THE OTIS REDDING FRENCH SITE Retrieved June 19, 2007.
• Otis Redding at the Internet Movie Database Retrieved June 19, 2007.
• Article About Otis Redding - by Dr. Frank Hoffmann Retrieved June 19, 2007.
• Otis Redding's Gravesite Retrieved June 19, 2007.
• http://www.history-of-rock.com/otis_redding.htm Retrieved June 19, 2007.