• Otis Redding Stories

  Fifty years after the release of his debut album, Otis Redding remains one of the most soulful, evocative voices in popular music. His songs have been the soundtrack to true love and heartbreak, some of the greatest film scenes of all time, lazy days and steamy nights. This page will be a collection of people’s stories from all over the world, giving fans new and old a glimpse into the meaning that an Otis song adds to the human experience.

  PARTICIPATE:

  Each month, we will post a new song as the “theme” of the month on our site: http://otisreddingstories.tumblr.com. Fans who wish to share their stories, feelings, reviews, or experiences of the song can record a short podcast-style sound clip and send it as an MP3 or a soundcloud link to stories@otisredding.com . The Otis Redding Team will review each story, potentially add some production, and upload via Soundcloud to the Tumblr page. Fans are encouraged to submit photos to be included with their stories.

  Stories will be uploaded weekly. If you haven’t heard your story yet, please be patient.

  HOW TO RECORD:

  We recommend recording your story on Soundcloud. If you have a smartphone, you can download the Soundcloud app and begin recording immediately, directly on your phone. The Soundcloud App can be downloaded from the App Store or on Google Play.

  If you are using your desktop to record your story, we recommend using Spreaker to record. You can set up an account here: www.spreaker.com

  Spreaker will allow you to upload directly to SoundCloud as well.

  GUIDELINES:

  These stories may be in whatever language you are most comfortable – they do not have to be in English.

  Stories MUST be about the featured song of the month.

  Submissions should be no longer than 5 minutes.

  Please include your name and location with submissions.

  Copyrights to the audio recording belong to the Estate of Otis Redding by submitting your Mp3 file or link to your SoundCloud recording for this purpose you authorize the Estate of Otis Redding and its representatives to use your sound recording for any purpose, promotionally or commercially, to celebrate or promote Otis Redding.

  QUESTIONS:

  Send your questions to stories@otisredding.com

  Get To Know Otis:

  Buy "The King Of Soul" - The Otis Redding Anthology today.

  http://amzn.to/19IYVV8

• Otis Redding III and Raphael Saadiq to perform at Gibson Art Guitar Signing

  Producer, musician and recording artist OTIS REDDING III will be on hand to sign the larger-than-life Gibson Guitar that has been specially created for the legendary music boulevard in conjunction with Gibson GuitarTown Sunset Strip.

  The painted guitar was created by artists RAPHAEL SAADIQ and UPENDO TAYLOR as a tribute to Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and legendary soul singer Otis Redding.

  This guitar, along with many others, will be featured as part of the Gibson Experience during the Sunset Strip Music Festival September 20 and 21.

  The art guitar signing event signifies Redding’s West Coast debut at the Whisky a Go-Go in 1966 and the influence he made on the famous Sunset Strip Boulevard.

  Following the guitar signing, Otis Redding III will perform a special acoustic performance with Grammy Award winning singer, songwriter and record producer Raphael Saadiq

  For more information, please visit the event's Facebook page here.

  

• 'Pain In My Heart' - 50th Anniversary Special Edition

  2014 Marks the 50th anniversary of the release of 'Pain In My Heart'.

  LOS ANGELES, Calif. — To commemorate the 50th anniversary of Otis Redding's debut album 'PAIN IN MY HEART', we are releasing a limited-edition, 50th Anniversary version of the original vinyl album featuring the original LP artwork on Record Store Day: April 19th, 2014.

  With audio sourced directly from the mono master tapes and mastered by Bernie Grundman, this 180-gram HQ vinyl special edition was pressed at RTI and features old-school tip-on jackets printed at Stoughton.

  Only 5,000 copies will be available worldwide, with limited-edition foil stamp numbering. Find your nearest independent record store and mark your calendar! April 19th, 2014 - SRLP - $24.98

  

  'Pain in My Heart' is the debut album of soul singer-songwriter Otis Redding. The album includes four classic Redding singles released in 1962 and 1963: "These Arms of Mine", "That's What My Heart Needs", "Security", and the title track, "Pain In My Heart".

  'Pain in My Heart' was originally released on Atlantic Records' subsidiary Atco Records on January 1, 1964, and peaked at number 20 on Billboard's R&B chart.

  The last single, "Security", was released in April, 1964, and charted at number 97 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart.

  Otis' debut single, "These Arms of Mine" (with "Hey Hey Baby" on the B-side) - was released in October, 1962 and became one of his most successful songs, selling more than 800,000 copies.

  (continued on next page)

• New Otis Redding 4-Disc Box Set: Coming February 4th

  Rhino will pay some respect of its own to this legendary Artist during Black History Month, when it releases a new four-disc set showcasing Otis' career.

  LOS ANGELES, Calif. — THE KING OF SOUL’s arrival coincides with the 50th anniversary of Redding’s debut album, Pain In My Heart, which helped define the sound of Stax Records in Memphis, Tennessee.

  This new set features 92 songs and retraces the singer’s career from his meteoric rise to his untimely death in a 1967 plane crash.

  

  The songs reveal the breadth of Redding’s talent, starting with his gift for songwriting: “I Can’t Turn You Loose,” “Ole Man Trouble” and “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay,” his posthumous #1 hit.

  His reputation as a magnetic and dynamic performer is well served by a selection of live performances recorded in 1966 at the Whisky a Go Go in L.A. (“These Arms of Mine” and “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag”) and in 1967 during the legendary Stax/Volt Revue tour of Europe (“Shake” and “Try a Little Tenderness.”)

  Redding was also an expert interpreter of other artist’s work, putting his distinct twist on everything from Solomon Burke’s “Down in the Valley” and William Bell’s “You Don’t Miss Your Water,” to the Stones’ “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” and Smokey Robinson’s “My Girl.”

  'The King Of Soul' also spotlights his unforgettable collaborations with singer Carla Thomas like “Lovey Dovey” and “Tramp.”

• 'Otis Redding: Soul Ambassador' - Film Premiere

  A Documentary Film By Jeremy Marre for the BBC

  Stax Museum of American Soul Music: Monday, September 9, 2013

  Doors open at 5:45 p.m.

  Two Screenings: 6 p.m. and 7:15 p.m.

  Limited Seating

  Free Admission: First-Come First-Served Basis

  Length: One Hour

  To help celebrate the date that would have been soul music icon and Stax legend Otis Redding’s 72nd birthday, the Stax Museum of American Soul Music will host two screenings of the new BBC television documentary, Otis Redding: Soul Ambassador, on Monday, September 9, 2013.

  The film was produced and directed by veteran British filmmaker Jeremy Marre for the British Broadcasting Company (BBC) and this screening at the Stax Museum is the United States debut of the film.

  This first-ever BBC television documentary about Otis Redding follows him from childhood and marriage to the Memphis studios and segregated Southern clubs where he honed his unique stage act and voice. Through unseen home movies, the film reveals how Otis's 1967 tour of Britain dramatically changed his life and music.

  After bringing soul to Europe he returned to conquer America, first with the 'love-crowd' at the Monterey Pop Festival and then with “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay,” which topped the charts only after his death at just 26 years old on December 10, 1967.

  The film includes rare and unseen performances, intimate interviews with Otis' wife Zelma Redding and daughter Karla Redding-Andrews, and with original band members Steve Cropper and Booker T. Jones.

  Also featured are comments from British fans whose lives were changed by seeing him, among them Rod Stewart, Tom Jones, Elton John, and Bryan Ferry.

• Macon Celebrates Otis Redding's Birthday

  Not only does September mark Georgia Music Month, but September 9th is Otis Redding’s birthday! 

  Join Otis Redding’s family, friends, and fans as we remember The King of Soul.™

  Otis Redding changed the world with his breathtaking lyrics and upbeat performances and we are honored that he called Macon home. 

  What birthday celebration would be complete without a few surprises? 

  This is one midday party you will not want to miss.

  When: Monday, September 9, 2013; 12 noon

  Where: The Otis Redding Foundation, 339 Cotton Avenue, Downtown Macon, Georgia

  

• 'The Songs Otis Redding Could Have Sung' - The Atlantic

  New singles collection highlights the staggering fact that one of the greatest singers ever likely died not in his prime, but before it.

  by Jack Hamilton - The Atlantic - July 22nd, 2013

  Death came too soon for too many of the 1960s' musical talents, but there's a special tragedy to Otis Redding. When Redding's Beechcraft H18 airplane crashed into Lake Monona in Madison, Wisconsin on December 10, 1967, the singer and songwriter was only 26 years old; Redding died at a younger age than Jimi Hendrix, than Janis Joplin, than Brian Jones, than Jim Morrison. That fact becomes even more remarkable when we consider how prolific Redding was. He scored his first national hit, "These Arms of Mine," in 1962, at the age of 21, and by the time of his death he had placed 20 more singles into the Billboard charts. In the two years after his passing he would place an additional 10.

  All of them and more can be found on Shout! Factory's newly released Complete Stax / Volt Singles, a three-disc set that collects every Redding performance released on 45rpm by the legendary Memphis label where he spent almost the entirety of his career (Redding released two singles before arriving at Stax, "Shout Bamalama" and "Gettin' Hip," neither of which charted). The Shout! box is by no means Redding's complete recordings--many a terrific album track go uncollected here--but, as with most musicians of his era, singles were the driving medium of Redding's career. The Complete Stax / Volt Singles is testament to an artistic journey that ended too soon but was nonetheless extraordinary for its scope, ambition, and consistent brilliance.

  Like all of the greatest singers, Otis Redding was utterly unique. He lacked the technical virtuosity of his idol, Sam Cooke--another '60s musician whose death came much too early--but made up for it with flawless taste and musical intellect. Despite his well-earned reputation for incendiary live performances--most famously on display in his performance at the Monterey Pop Festival, six months before his death--Redding was never the frenzied pyrotechnician of later "soul man" parodies. In fact, his greatest gift may have been his command of restraint and understatement. The best singers are also masters of silence: The moments that Ray Charles doesn't sing--when he's just about to sing, just finished singing, or taking a breath (especially when he's taking a breath)--can be as electrifying as any notes coming out of his mouth. Otis Redding understood and used this power as well as anyone. Critic Dave Marsh once wrote that Redding's performance of "I've Been Loving You Too Long (To Stop Now)" sounds "as though each line is coming to him only the instant before he sings it, quavering notes as if in the grip of an undeniably exquisite passion that must be consummated--now!" a description that itself dwells in pauses, anticipation, the thrill of ensuing discovery.

  For all his illusions of spontaneity, Redding was an intricate and deeply cerebral singer who approached his performances with the attention of a great songwriter, which of course he was--shortly before his death he saw one of his compositions, "Respect," become one of the biggest hits in history at the hands of Aretha Franklin ("That little girl stole my song," Redding is said to have remarked, with appropriate awe). Even as a relatively callow 21-year-old on "These Arms of Mine," he delivers the song with a cool and loving precision, carefully while never cautiously. It's a studied performance in the best sense, a precociously gifted artist performing his craft with the highest seriousness.

  The Complete Stax / Volt Singles also doubles as a pretty great repository of Booker T. and the MGs' greatest hits. The legendary Stax house band--featuring keyboardist Booker T. Jones, guitarist Steve Cropper, bassist Donald "Duck" Dunn, and drummer Al Jackson, Jr......... (Continued on next page)

• ...played on nearly everything that came out of Soulsville, U.S.A. in the 1960s, but they harbored special affection for Redding and often seemed to put something extra into his sessions. "Direct Me," a posthumous b-side released in 1968, is marvelously limber, with the bass line bouncing and slithering off the drums, Cropper playing country-blues guitar fills against Jones's whispering, churchy organ. It is nearly impossible for a band to sound better than this.

  

  Click here to read the full article via The Atlantic

  Click here to buy 'The Complete Stax/Volt Singles' on Amazon.

  

• CBS News: '(Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay Turns 45'

  45 years ago, Stax Records released Otis Redding's iconic song "(Sittin' on) The Dock of the Bay." The song was recorded just days before Redding's death at age 26. Charlie Rose reports.

  Although he was only 26 years old at the time of his death, Redding had already released numerous hit songs and albums and become a successful performer, songwriter, producer and businessman. Recorded just three days before the plane crash, “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay,” became his 17th straight hit and first million-seller and remains one of his most popular songs.

  

  iPad/iPhone/iOS/Mobile Users: Click here to watch the full video via CBS news: http://www.cbsn.ws/UGvjwx

• 'Lonely & Blue: The Deepest Soul of Otis Redding' - due out March 5th, 2013 on Stax Records

  Available on CD and blue vinyl, packaging evokes the look and feel of a late '60s Stax/Volt album that Redding might have released at the height of his career.

  LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Otis Redding’s Lonely & Blue: The Deepest Soul of Otis Redding could pass for a title Stax/Volt might have released in the late ’60s. The look of the album reflects Stax’s design themes of the era. But in fact it’s a collection that never existed, until now, that homes in on one mood and one theme —heartbreaking, yearning ballads — of which Redding had many. The album will be released as a CD and blue vinyl LP on March 5, 2013 on Stax Records through Concord Music Group.

  

  Lonely & Blue: The Deepest Soul of Otis Redding contains the hits (“I’ve Been Loving You Too Long,” “These Arms of Mine,” “My Lover’s Prayer,” “Free Me”) alongside many lesser-known songs (“Gone Again,” “Open the Door,” “Waste of Time,” “Everybody Makes a Mistake,” to name a few). They’re all included in this compilation because they share the tangled theme of sorrow.

  According to compilation producer David Gorman, “Given how nobody delivered a gut-wrenching sad song like Otis, I always felt he should have made an album you could put on late at night and settle into with a glass of something strong. The mood and the subject of every song is the same — Otis, heartbroken, and begging for love. I tried to find the saddest most potently heartbreaking songs he ever sang, with no regard for chart position or notoriety. There are a few hits on the album, but they’re there because they fit the mood, not because we wanted to include the hits.”

  Pre-order the album here: http://www.amzn.to/VDBbFy

• MORE THAN 40 YEARS AFTER HIS DEATH, THE LEGACY OF OTIS REDDING LIVES ON

  On December 10th, music lovers around the world will commemorate the anniversary of the death of one of modern music’s most prolific entertainers, Mr. Otis Redding.

  Ranked #8 on Rolling Stone magazine’s 100 Greatest Singers of All Time list, Redding amassed a string of classic songs including “(Sittin On), The Dock of the Bay, I‘ve Been Loving You Too Long,” “Satisfaction,” “Try A Little Tenderness,” and “Respect,” before his untimely death in 1967. Redding and members of the Bar-Kays, his touring band at the time, were tragically killed in a plane crash while enroute to a concert in Madison, Wisconsin.

  Although he was only 26 years old at the time of his death, Redding had already released numerous hit songs and albums and become a successful performer, songwriter, producer and businessman. Recorded just three days before the plane crash, “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay,” became his 17th straight hit and first million-seller and remains one of his most popular songs.

  

  The strong impact that Otis Redding made on popular culture remains evident from the countless films, television shows and commercials that his songs can be heard in and from the major influence he has had on superstar artists such as Rod Stewart who told People magazine, “I always felt Otis was singing just for me. That is a hallmark of a good singer.”

  Redding’s legacy continues to grow via numerous honors that have been bestowed upon him posthumously, including induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, an art exhibit entitled Otis Redding: I’ve Got Dreams to Remember that was commissioned in his honor and a documentary, Dreams to Remember: The Legacy of Otis Redding, which was released in 2007.

  His memory and contributions are also kept alive through the work of his widow Zelma and their children, who established the Big “O” Youth Educational Dream Foundation to empower and educate children through the arts, which was a personal mission of Redding’s.

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• On this day in 1967, the Stax/Volt Revue took Norway by storm! https://t.co/D6w43plZr3 #KingOfSoul #OtisRedding #Stax #Volt 01:52:22 PM April 07, 2021 ReplyRetweetFavorite
• Everybunny is loving The Otis Redding Foundation’s new Spring merch! Hop on in to their store in Downtown Macon Mon… https://t.co/fgbbgUdH63 09:20:42 AM April 04, 2021 ReplyRetweetFavorite
• On this day in 1967, Otis Redding’s cover of The Beatles’ “Day Tripper” hit Number 43 on the UK charts. Check it ou… https://t.co/0J6Sohx45u 09:04:54 AM March 29, 2021 ReplyRetweetFavorite

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