Otis Redding

Otis Redding
Redding in 1967
Born
Otis Ray Redding Jr.

(1941-09-09)September 9, 1941
Dawson, Georgia, U.S.
DiedDecember 10, 1967(1967-12-10) (aged 26)
Madison, Wisconsin, U.S.
Cause of deathPlane crash
Resting placeRound Oak, Georgia
Other names
  • The Big O[1]
  • The Mad Man from Macon[1]
  • Rockhouse Redding[2]
  • The King of Soul[3]
Occupations
  • Singer
  • songwriter
Years active1958–1967
Spouse
Zelma Atwood
​
(m. 1961)​
Children4
Musical career
Genres
DiscographyOtis Redding discography
Years active1958–1967
Labels
Websiteotisredding.com

Otis Ray Redding Jr. (September 9, 1941 – December 10, 1967) was an American singer and songwriter. He is regarded as one of the greatest singer-songwriters in the history of American popular music and a seminal artist in soul music and rhythm and blues. Nicknamed the "King of Soul",[5] Redding's style of singing gained inspiration from the gospel music that preceded the genre. His singing style influenced many other soul artists of the 1960s.

Redding was born in Dawson, Georgia, and his family soon moved to Macon. Redding quit school at the age of 15 to support his family, working with Little Richard's backing band, the Upsetters, and performing in talent shows at Macon's historic Douglass Theatre. In 1958, Redding joined Johnny Jenkins's band, the Pinetoppers, with whom he toured the Southern states as a singer and driver. An unscheduled appearance on a Stax recording session led to a contract and his first hit single, "These Arms of Mine", in 1962.

Stax released Redding's debut album, Pain in My Heart, two years later. Initially popular mainly with African Americans, Redding later reached a wider American pop music audience. Along with his group, he first played small shows in the American South. Redding later performed at the popular Los Angeles night club Whisky a Go Go and toured Europe, performing in London, Paris and other major cities. In 1967, he performed at the Monterey Pop Festival.

Shortly before his death in a plane crash, Redding wrote and recorded his iconic "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" with Steve Cropper. The song became the first posthumous number-one record on both the Billboard Hot 100 and R&B charts. The album The Dock of the Bay was the first posthumous album to reach number one on the UK Albums Chart. Redding's premature death devastated Stax. Already on the verge of bankruptcy, the label soon discovered that the Atco division of Atlantic Records owned the rights to his entire song catalog.

Redding received many posthumous accolades, including two Grammy Awards, the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame,[6] and the Songwriters Hall of Fame. In addition to "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay", some of his best-known songs include "Respect" and "Try a Little Tenderness".

  1. ^ a b Labrie 1968, p. 38.
  2. ^ Phelps 1997, p. 179.
  3. ^ Seidenberg, Robert (December 9, 1994). "Death of the King of Soul". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on December 7, 2014. Retrieved February 20, 2020. Paying tribute to the King of Soul – Twenty-seven years after his death, Otis Redding's influences is still strong
  4. ^ Otis Redding Southern Soul, AllMusic, June 27, 2022
  5. ^ Seidenberg, Robert (December 9, 1994). "Death of the King of Soul". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on December 7, 2014. Retrieved February 20, 2020. Paying tribute to the King of Soul – Twenty-seven years after his death, Otis Redding's influences is still strong
  6. ^ "Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame Announced With First Three Inductees". Billboard. February 18, 2021. Retrieved April 15, 2021.