Otis Redding

• Born: September 9, 1941
• Birthplace: Dawson, Georgia
• Died: December 10, 1967
• Place of death: Lake Monona, Wisconsin

Soul singer and composer

Redding is considered one of the first artists to blend gospel music with rhythm and blues. He is most noted for his songwriting and showmanship. Redding’s musical compositions make use of gritty vocals, an exacting brass section, and emotional content. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989 and is considered to have influenced numerous popular musicians throughout the world.

Areas of achievement: Music: composition; Music: gospel; Music: rhythm and blues; Music: soul

Early Life

Otis Ray Redding, Jr., was born in Dawson, Georgia, on September 9, 1941, to Fannie Mae and Otis Redding, Sr. When Redding was just five years old, the family moved to a housing project in Macon, Georgia. There his father preached and encouraged his involvement in local Baptist church choirs. As an adolescent, Redding idolized Macon’s other celebrity resident, Little Richard. In fact, Redding noted on several occasions that if it were not for Little Richard, he might not have sought a career in music.

In his sophomore year at Ballad Hudson High School, Redding dropped out to join Little Richard’s band, the Upsetters. With an experienced band backing Redding’s uncanny singing and performance abilities, he was now able to perform regularly and to develop his own musical persona. Redding entered local talent shows and after fifteen straight wins was no longer allowed to compete.

In 1959, Redding met Zelma Atwood. They married in 1961 and had three children together: Karla, Dexter, and Otis III.

Life’s Work

As Redding’s musical reputation grew, he was afforded various opportunities to record his own music, his first coming in 1960 under the name Otis and the Shooters. It was not long before Redding made a name for himself with several compositions on the Stax/Volt record label.

During his brief career, Redding’s musical output was enormous. Perhaps his most famous composition is “(Sittin’ on) The Dock of the Bay.” The single was recorded shortly before Redding’s death and was released posthumously in 1968. To date, it is the only posthumous single to reach the number-one position on the Billboard Hot 100 and was Redding’s only number-one recording.

While “(Sittin’ on) The Dock of the Bay” is well known as a Redding composition, less well known is that he wrote the song “Respect,” which was made famous by Aretha Franklin in 1967. The song was a B-side track on his third album, Otis Blue (1965). The single reached number four on the rhythm-and-blues singles chart for Redding. It was named number five in Rolling Stone’s Five Hundred Greatest Songs of All Time and is considered to be a definitive song of the 1960’s. Redding’s other notable compositions include “These Arms of Mine,” “I’ve Been Loving You Too Long (To Stop Now),” “Tramp,” “Amen,” and “Hard to Handle.”

In an attempt to build his mainstream audience, Redding performed at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967 alongside other notable music artists such as the Who, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Ravi Shankar, and the Mamas and the Papas. On December 10, 1967, Redding, his manager, and four members of his band, the Bar-Kays, boarded an airplane in Cleveland, Ohio. The plane crashed into Lake Monona in Wisconsin, killing all but one person onboard. Redding was twenty-six years old. The cause of the plane crash was not determined.

Significance

Redding’s songwriting ability, blending gospel with rhythm and blues, was celebrated in the pop music world. He was honored with numerous posthumous awards, including induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He is often cited as one of the most influential musical artists of all time. In 1993, Redding was memorialized on a U.S. postage stamp.

Bibliography

Bowman, Rob. Soulsville U.S.A.: The Story of Stax Records. New York: Schirmer Books, 2003. Thorough and exacting look into the history of Stax Records. Bowman is a noted ethnomusicologist who has won numerous awards for his music research.

Brown, Geoff. Otis Redding: Try a Little Tenderness. Edinburgh: Canongate, 2002. A look at Redding’s life through interviews with those who knew him. Brown interviewed Isaac Hayes, David Porter, and Booker T. Jones to piece together an account of Redding’s life and influence on music.

Freeman, Scott. Otis! The Otis Redding Story. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2001. Freeman examines all aspects of Redding’s career, including an unflinching look at Redding’s shrewd business skills.

Guralnick, Peter. Sweet Soul Music: Rhythm and Blues and the Southern Dream of Freedom. Edinburgh: Mojo Books, 2002. A comprehensive look at Redding and many of his contemporaries.