Otis Redding

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).

Unusually 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.

"(Sittin' on) the Dock of the Bay" became famous a year after his death in a plane crash in Wisconsin, along with The Bar-Kays, his back-up band.