Otis Redding, born on September 9th, 1941, is one of the greatest soul singers this world has ever seen. Tragically, his death at the young age of 26 cut short the life of an artist in his prime. His gritty, powerful voice and larger-than-life stage presence are emblematic of the greatest qualities of American music in the 60's. Though extremely popular among African Americans, Reddding was not fully embraced by White audiences in the U.S. until after his death. However, Reddings' charm and sweat-drenched performances (such as the clip below from a 1966 performance on the British show Ready, Steady, Go!) transcended racial boundaries, and won him widespread acclaim and adoration throughout Europe. Sadly his emergence as a great musical force was short-lived, as his breakout performance at the Monterey Pop Festival (June, 1967) came only six months before the the plane crash that took his life.
Redding died on December 10th, 1967, while en route to a concert in Wisconsin. The plane that carried him and his band crashed into a frozen lake just 3 miles from the runway, killing 7out of 8 passengers aboard. Redding had recorded a demo of his most famous song, "(Sittin' by the) Dock of the Bay", only 3 days before. It was released in its unfinished form a few weeks later and sold 4 million copies, becoming the first posthumous single to top the U.S. Billboard top 100. Interestingly, had the singer lived to complete it, the most indelible part of the song, Otis whistling at the end, would have been replaced with another verse.
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