Otis Redding

Otis Redding (1941-1967) was an American soul singer famous for his distinctive voice and energetic live performances. Born in Georgia, he was influenced by gospel music as well as the output of fellow Georgia native Little Richard, whose raw, emotional vocals he greatly admired. When he came to Stax Records he recorded with the backing of house bands Booker T. and the MGs and the Mar-Kays, often recording songs he had written himself. Redding's songwriting and performing, which combined soul with rock and roll codified southern soul, and he is often credited as the Trope Maker for the Deep Soul subgenre.

Redding died along with most of his band in a plane crash at the height of his fame, when he was only twenty-six years old. His song "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" went on to be a posthumous hit, and came to be seen as his Signature Song. His music influenced dozens of other artists and earned him the well-deserved title of King of Soul.


 * Author Existence Failure
 * Briefer Than They Think: Although he released a lot of material, the main part of his recording career lasted only three years. His posthumous albums account for much of the discrepancy.
 * Cover Version: The Rolling Stones covered his song "That's How Strong My Love Is" and in return Redding covered "Satisfaction" with slightly different lyrics and horns playing the main riff (which was Keith Richards' original intention).
 * Lyrical Dissonance: It went both ways with "Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa (Sad Song)" (Exactly What It Says on the Tin, but it often sounded quite merry when performed live) and its psuedo-sequel "Happy Song (Dum-Dum)", which was much more melancholic.
 * Source Music: Featured on the TV show Lost
 * Spelling Song
 * Team Dad: Steve Cropper, who worked for Stax Records as a record producer, session guitarist, and A&R director, says that Redding was the Team Dad for every musician involved with Stax Records in spite of his youth, and when he died the company was never quite the same.
 * The Something Song
 * Verbal Tic: "Lord, have mercy!"