Otis Redding Biography

Otis Redding was a black soul singer who died in a plane crash in 1967, just before the release of what turned out to be his biggest hit, “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay.” Redding grew up in Macon, Georgia, where he became a hometown favorite because of his passionate performances. In 1962 he recorded his own ballad, “These Arms of Mine,” a minor hit that gave him credibility as a recording artist. Redding had more than a dozen hits on the R&B charts, but crossing over to mainstream pop proved more difficult, despite popular covers of Sam Cooke’s “Shake” (1967) and The Rolling Stones’ “Satisfaction” (1966). His performance at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival boosted his profile with white audiences and Redding was well on his way to becoming a superstar, as both a performer and songwriter (he wrote Aretha Franklin‘s hit “Respect”). But on 10 December 1967 Redding’s private plane crashed in Lake Monona outside Madison, Wisconsin, killing him and four members of his backing group. His other hit songs include “I’ve Been Loving You Too Long,” “I Can’t Turn You Loose” and “Try a Little Tenderness.”