Born September 9th 1941, Otis Redding was born. He was an African American singer and entertainer.He was born in Dawson, GA. He began playing drums in school and was paid six dollars a hour on Sundays to accompany gospel groups appearing on local radio station WIBB. He stayed in school until the tenth grade, quitting to help support his family. Redding began his recording career in the early 1960s as a Little Richard-styled shouter. He was working in the band of guitarist Johnny Jenkins at the time, and in 1962, he recorded the ballad These Arms of Mine.Redding left school at 15 to support his family, working with Little Richard’s backing band, the Upsetters, and performing at talent shows for prize money. In 1958, he joined Johnny Jenkins’ band, the Pinetoppers, and toured the Southern United States as driver and musician. An unscheduled appearance on a Stax recording session led to a contract and his first 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 the broader American popular music audience. He and his group first played small gigs in the South, then debuted in the western United States at LA’s popular Whisky a Go Go. They later performed in Paris, London and other European cities.After appearing at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival Redding wrote and recorded the 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 after his death in a plane crash. The Dock of the Bay became 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 Atlantic Records owned the rights to his entire catalogue.Redding received many posthumous accolades, including the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame. He received the honorific nickname King of Soul. In addition to “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay,” “Respect” and “Try a Little Tenderness” are among his best-known songs.When it became an R&B hit, Redding’s solo career was on its way, though the hits didn’t really start to take hold for about three years, when Mr. Pitiful, I’ve Been Loving You Too Long, I Can’t Turn You Loose, and Respect (later turned into a huge pop smash by Aretha Franklin) were all big sellers. Redding wrote much of his own material, sometimes with guitarist Steve Cropper. Yet at the time, his success was primarily confined to the soul market; his singles charted only mildly on the pop listings.He was nonetheless tremendously respected by many White groups, particularly the Rolling Stones, who covered Redding’s “That’s How Strong My Love Is” and “Pain in My Heart.” One of Redding’s biggest hits was a duet with fellow Stax star Carla Thomas, “Tramp,” in 1967, the same year he performed to great acclamation at the Monterey Pop Festival.Redding’s biggest triumph, however, came just days before his death, when he recorded (“Sittin’ on) The Dock of the Bay,” a significant rise in the examination of intense personal emotions. One of the most influential soul singers of the 1960s, Redding embodied to many listeners the power of Southern “Deep Soul,” an emotional voice with both party songs and emotionally aching ballads.Redding died young, at the age of 26, in a plane crash in Wisconsin on December 10, 1967.
Written by Dianne Washington