Otis Redding

Otis Redding
Redding in 1967
Born	Otis Ray Redding Jr. (1941-09-09)September 9, 1941 Dawson, Georgia, U.S.
Died	December 10, 1967(1967-12-10) (aged 26) Madison, Wisconsin, U.S.
Cause of death	Plane crash
Resting place	Round 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 active	1958–1967
Spouse	Zelma Atwood ​ (m. 1961)​
Children	4
Musical career
Genres	Soul R&B Southern soul[4]
Discography	Otis Redding discography
Years active	1958–1967
Labels	Confederate Records Stax Volt Atco Rhino Sundazed
Musical artist
Website	otisredding.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 vocal style influenced many other soul artists of the 1960s.

Redding was born in Dawson, Georgia, and his family soon moved to Macon. He dropped out of high 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 Records 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 his self-penned "Respect", which later became more widely associated with Aretha Franklin's cover, and his rendition of "Try a Little Tenderness".