Otis Redding

When he was in his late teens, Otis Redding met 15-year-old Zelma Atwood at ‘The Teenage Party’ and became romantically involved. They had their son, Dexter; in 1960 and got married in August 1961.

Redding was a wealthy man and he earned around $35,000 per week for his concerts. He used to spend considerably on philanthropic projects and organised summer camps for disadvantaged black children.

Many artists over the years have named Redding as their influence. These include George Harrison, Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Lynyrd Skynyrd, the Doors, and many others.

Otis Redding was born on September 9, 1941, in Dawson, Georgia. He was the fourth child of Otis Redding Sr. and Fannie Mae Redding. He had five siblings. His father was a sharecropper and also worked at Robins Air Force Base.

Redding used to sing in the Vineville Baptist Church choir when he was a child, and also learned guitar and piano. When he was just ten, he started taking drum and singing lessons.

When he was in Ballard-Hudson High School, he often sang in the school band. He earned $6 every week by performing gospel songs at Macon radio station WIBB.

He left school when he was 15 to support his family financially. At that time, his father was suffering from tuberculosis and was often hospitalized, due to which his mother was burdened with the family’s responsibilities. A young Redding worked as a well digger, gasoline station attendant, and also as a musician.

In 1958, Redding met Johnny Jenkins who took interest in Redding’s music. He offered to accompany him, and they performed together, winning Swain’s talent contest and a cash prize of $5 for 15 consecutive weeks.

In the early years of his career, Otis Redding moved to Los Angeles with his sister, Deborah, and wrote his first songs which were ‘She’s Allright’, ‘Tuff Enuff’, ‘I’m Gettin’ Hip’ and ‘Gamma Lamma’.

When Johnny Jenkins left the band, Redding met Phil Walden and Bobby Smith who ran a small label Confederate Records. Redding signed with Confederate and recorded his singles ‘Shout Bamalama’ and ‘Fat Girl’.

In 1962, Redding drove Jenkins to his session in Memphis. The session with Jenkins wasn’t well received and Redding was allowed to perform two songs. He performed ‘Hey Hey Baby’ and ‘These Arms of Mine’. The studio chief, Jim Stewart, praised Redding’s performance. Later, Stewart signed Redding and released both the songs. The single ‘Hey Hey Baby’ became one of the most successful songs and sold more than 800,000 copies.

Redding’s debut album ‘Pain in My Heart’ included songs from his 1962-63 sessions – ‘These Arms of Mine’ and other songs. In 1963, ‘That’s What My Heart Needs’ and ‘Mary’s Little Lamb’ were recorded.

In November 1963, Redding was accompanied by his brother Rodgers to perform at the Apollo Theatre for recording a live album for Atlantic Records. Redding got a chance to showcase his dance moves with ‘Shake’ and ‘Satisfaction’.

Otis Redding was considered to be one of the most iconic singers of the 1960s. He enjoyed massive success and garnered a large number of fans due to his soulful singing. Most of his songs were huge hits and topped the charts. But the album that broke all the records came only after his death.

His single ‘(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay’ which released in January 1968 went on to reach the number one spot on the Billboard Hot 100. It was also the first posthumous number one single in U.S. chart history. The album ‘The Dock of the Bay’ sold approximately four million copies; it was also the first posthumous album which reached the top spot on the UK Albums Chart.