Otis Redding (
September 9,
1941 -
December 10,
1967) was an
American influential
deep soul singer, known for his passionate delivery and his posthumous hit single, "
(Sittin' On) the Dock of the Bay", also one of his most respected tracks. The native of
Macon, Georgia was
working in the music business with
Johnny Jenkins in the early
1960s, recording "These Arms of Mine". The song became a hit, which was followed a few years later by "Mr. Pitiful", "I Can't Turn You Loose", "Satisfaction" (
The Rolling Stones song) and "Respect" (later smash hit by
Aretha Franklin). Unusual for his time, Redding wrote many of his own songs, sometimes with
Steve Cropper (of
Booker T & the MG's). 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. He recorded "(Sittin' on) the Dock of the Bay" but died a year before it became famous, in a plane crash in Wisconsin, along with The Bar-Kays, his back-up band.
