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How to Write & Publish Books of Blues. Hopefully.

How to Write & Publish Books of Blues. Hopefully.

Nat Finn's first series of novels / new books

You are here: Home / Otis Redding

Otis Redding

found the live at the whisky a go go cover in portland

Otis Redding(1941/09/09 – 1967/12/10) was one of my first musical inspirations. He’s one of my many musical influences for at least my first 5 books of blues, and perhaps for as long and as much as I get to write. His upbringing, influences, and impact on music has captured me since I first remember hearing (Sittin’ on the) Dock of the Bay saunter in the room on a summer Friday night from my best friend’s father’s Philco Hi-Fi.

Category Nav
  • Otis Redding Career Facts
  • Otis Redding Personal Facts
  • My personal favs
  • Otis Redding Discography
    • The Studio Albums
    • The Studio Albums: Posthumous (but with original material)
    • The all-too-few Live Albums
  • Online Media: Streaming Music, Video…
    • Streaming Music on Spotify
    • YouTube videos
  • Latest thoughts, facts, research, or personal reference

If you’ve never heard Otis Redding outside of one of his simply-too-many greatest hits albums, then you’re missing perhaps one of the best performers to ever grace a stage. I’m not just talking in regards to Soul music or Blues / Jazz with a Macon Music makeover, or even in the broader realm of American roots music. 

Otis Redding might have been the best live performer in 20th century American music.

– Finn

And if you have anything to contribute, or find a fact you’d like to contest, please let me know.

“Pretty little thing, let me light your candle / ‘Cause mama I’m sure hard to handle, now, gets around”

– Allen Jones & Otis Redding

Now, get ready for “Star Time,” complete with two trumpets and a saxophone.

Otis Redding Quickfacts:

Otis Redding Career Snapshot


Stage Name:Otis Redding
Real Name:Otis Ray Redding, Jr.
Birthday:1941/09/09
Birthplace:Dawson, GA [Clark’s Mill, GA]
Died:1967/12/10
COD:Plane Crash (Drown)
Where Died:Lake Monona, WI
Final Age:26 yrs.
Signature:Raspy Voice, Emotional Delivery, Vibrance
Influences:Little Richard, Sam Cooke
Songwriter?Yes
Instruments:Vocals, Guitar, Piano
Broke in:Won $5 singing contest in 1958. 1963: wrote / Sang “These Arms of Mine.”
Bands:The Upsetters, The Pinetoppers, Otis and the Shooters, Booker T. & the M.G.’s (backing band)
Record Company:Jotis (owned), Stax, Redwal, and Atlantic
Breakout:Monterey Pop Festival. 1967
Manager / Agent:Self, Alan Walden
RC SNAFUs?Stax didn’t know Atlantic held the copyrights.
Awards Include:UK Silver award. Posthumous: #1 US Single, Grammy Lifetime Achievement, Songwriters HOF
Best Selling Single:
Best Selling Album:“Otis Blue: Otis Redding Sings Soul”. (Posthumous: “The Dock of the Bay”)
Infamy:Died too Soon
Legacy Left:Ability to show raw soul emotion. High-energy covers of rock anthems. Show soul / rock cross-overs can be ballads. Business acumen: owned record company. Invested.

Otis Redding Personal Facts:


Wife:Zelma
Kids:Dexter, Karla, Otis III, Demetria
Family Man?According to Zelma
Upbringing:Father: deacon / sharecropper / entrepreneur. Contracted tuberculosis when Otis was 15. Forced Otis and Mama to work hard jobs to make ends meet until he recovered a year later.
Parents Around?Yes
Traumatic childhood?Forced to work manual labor jobs to help mama bring in money for the family.
Traumatic events?Parental illness.

My Personal Favs:


My Favorite Single:“(Sittin’ on) The Dock of The Bay”
My Favorite Album:“Live on the Sunset Strip”
Why I Love Otis Redding:He started my love of music
How He Inspires Me:When his music’s on, watch me work.

Otis Redding Discography

Studio Albums


Otis Redding: Pain in My Heart. 1964
  • Title:
    “Pain in My Heart”
  • Released:
    1964/01/01
  • Label:
    Alto Records (NYC)
  • Acclaim:
    Positive. All Music & Rolling Stone
  • Charts:
    #28 – UK Charts

The Great Otis Redding Sings Soul Ballads
  • Title:
    “The Great Otis Redding Sings Soul Ballads”
  • Released:
    1965/03/01
  • Label:
    Volt (Memphis, TN)
  • Acclaim:
    5 Stars: Rolling Stone Album Guide
  • Charts:
    #3 on US R&B Charts
Otis Blue: Otis Redding Sings Soul. 1965/09/15
  • Title:
    “Otis Blue: Otis Redding Sings Soul”
  • Released:
    1965/09/15
  • Label:
    Volt (Memphis, TN)
  • Acclaim:
    5 Stars: Rolling Stone
  • Charts:
    1 on US R&B Charts. #6 on UK Charts.
The Soul Album by Otis Redding. 1966/04/01
  • Title:
    “The Soul Album”
  • Released:
    1966/04/01
  • Label:
    Volt (Memphis, TN)
  • Acclaim:
    4 Stars: AllMusic
  • Charts:
    #54 Billboard 200
Complete
  • Title:
    “Complete & Unbelievable: The Otis Redding Dictionary of Soul”
  • Released:
    1966/10/15
  • Label:
    Volt (Memphis, TN)
  • Acclaim:
    4 Stars: Rolling Stone
  • Charts:
    #5 on US R&B Charts
  • Title:
    “King & Queen (with Carla Thomas)”
  • Released:
    1967/03/16
  • Label:
    Stax Records (Memphis, TN)
  • Acclaim:
    4.5 Stars: Rolling Stone
  • Charts:
    #5 on US R&B Charts

Posthumous Studio Albums, with Original Material:


Dock of the Bay. 1968/02/03
  • Title:
    “The Dock of The Bay”
  • Released:
    1968/02/03
  • Label:
    Volt (Memphis, TN)
  • Acclaim:
    It had (Sittin’ On) The Dock of The Bay on it. Rolling Stone: positive.
  • Charts:
The Immortal Otis Redding. 1968/06/01 (?)
  • Title:
    “The Immortal Otis Redding”
  • Released:
    1968/06/01 (?)
  • Label:
    Atco (NYC)
  • Acclaim:
    4 Stars: Rolling Stone Album Guide
  • Charts:
Love Man. 1969/06/20
  • Title:
    “Love Man”
  • Released:
    1969/06/20
  • Label:
    Atco (NYC)
  • Acclaim:
    Not Sure.
  • Charts:
    Not Sure.
Tell the Truth. 1970/07/01
  • Title:
    “Tell the Truth”
  • Released:
    1970/07/01
  • Label:
    Atco (NYC)
  • Acclaim:
    3 Stars: AllMusic
  • Charts:
    Not Sure.

Otis Redding Live Albums:


Live in Europe. 1967/07/10
  • Title:
    “Live in Europe”
  • Where:
    London, Paris…
  • Released:
    1967/07/10
  • Label:
    Volt (Memphis, TN)
  • Acclaim:
    Not Sure.
  • Charts:
    #8 US R&B. #14 UK
In Person at the Whisky a Go Go. 1968/04/15 (?)
  • Title:
    “In Person at the Whisky a Go Go”
  • Where:
    Whisky a Go Go. Los Angeles, CA
  • Released:
    1968/04/15 (?)
  • Label:
    Atco (NYC)
  • Acclaim:
    Not sure.
  • Charts:
    #7 US R&B.
  • Title:
    “Historic Performances Recorded at the Monterey International Pop Festival.”
  • Where:
    1967 Monterey Pop Festival
  • Released:
    1970/08/26
  • Label:
    Reprise Records
  • Acclaim:
    Not sure.
  • Charts:
    #15 US R&B, Gold: US
  • Title:
    “Live on the Sunset Strip.”
  • Where:
    Sunset Strip / Whisky A Go Go, Los Angeles.
  • Released:
    2010
  • Label:
    Not Sure.
  • Acclaim:
    Not Sure.
  • Charts:
    Not Sure.

Online Media: Streaming Music, YouTube Videos…

Otis Redding on Spotify


My Favorites

Recorded Albums

Beginners Top Ten

Live Recordings

Otis Redding on YouTube


Latest Thoughts on Otis Redding


Love Man. Otis Redding. June 1969

I didn’t think I was going to love Love Man. I didn’t think there was…

Continue Reading Love Man. Otis Redding. June 1969

Otis Redding’s best live albums, what to listen to, and what about Vinyl?

Sorting out Otis Redding’s Live Albums can drive you mad. Here’s why: There are only…

Continue Reading Otis Redding’s best live albums, what to listen to, and what about Vinyl?

Who Whistled at the end of “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay?”

Short Answer: “The whistle at the end of “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay,”…

Continue Reading Who Whistled at the end of “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay?”

with friends at marina golden-gate rec area. Seriously, Sausalito is pretty much there.

Where is the Frisco Bay?

From the Department of Unexpected Questions, I found this while researching where Otis Redding wrote…

Continue Reading Where is the Frisco Bay?

Where did Otis Redding write Dock of the Bay?

Where Otis Redding wrote “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay” is one of the…

Continue Reading Where did Otis Redding write Dock of the Bay?

The Dock of the Bay album

Sit in the mornin’ sun when you hear this album. Play it till the evenin’…

Continue Reading The Dock of the Bay album

Live in Europe – Otis Redding

And you thought Jimi Hendrix was the only iconic name in American music to make…

Continue Reading Live in Europe – Otis Redding

King & Queen: Otis Redding & Carla Thomas

Every king needs a queen, and the producers wanted to show that Otis Redding was…

Continue Reading King & Queen: Otis Redding & Carla Thomas

“The Soul Album,” Otis Redding’s 4th studio album.

If the following is true: “Pain In My Heart” was Otis Redding’s first solo album”The…

Continue Reading “The Soul Album,” Otis Redding’s 4th studio album.

Otis Blue: Otis Redding Sings Soul

Otis Redding got his first Billboard R & B #1 album with his third release,…

Continue Reading Otis Blue: Otis Redding Sings Soul

The Great Otis Redding Sings Soul Ballads

As much as I love Otis Redding’s debut album, “Pain In My Heart,” after listening…

Continue Reading The Great Otis Redding Sings Soul Ballads

Where Otis Redding was born?

Most everywhere I went online, I read essentially the same thing: “Otis Redding was born…

Continue Reading Where Otis Redding was born?

Is Otis Redding Alive? If not, how did Otis Redding die.

I wish Otis Redding was alive. Millions of us wish this. Otis would be 76…

Continue Reading Is Otis Redding Alive? If not, how did Otis Redding die.

with friends at marina golden-gate rec area. Seriously, Sausalito is pretty much there.

Why Otis Redding is worth listening to, why I first started listening to him, and why I’ll never stop.

Once in awhile, with family friends or fellow patrons at the pub, I get asked,…

Continue Reading Why Otis Redding is worth listening to, why I first started listening to him, and why I’ll never stop.

Sausalito, California. Facts relevant to me, so far.

Sausalito, California first caught my attention while I was researching the back story to Otis…

Continue Reading Sausalito, California. Facts relevant to me, so far.

10 Otis Redding live cuts, B-sides, and rare songs way too good for pop & oldies radio.

Everybody knows, “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay,” “These Arms of Mine,” and “Try…

Continue Reading 10 Otis Redding live cuts, B-sides, and rare songs way too good for pop & oldies radio.

Otis Redding, “Pain in My Heart,” 1964. Otis Redding’s debut album

Doing a quick album review of Otis Redding’s Pain in My Heart reminds me how…

Continue Reading Otis Redding, “Pain in My Heart,” 1964. Otis Redding’s debut album

(Sittin’ on the) Dock of the Bay by Otis Redding – the 3rd Inspiration for My Web Presence

I couldn’t tell you when it happened. I don’t remember the first time I heard…

Continue Reading (Sittin’ on the) Dock of the Bay by Otis Redding – the 3rd Inspiration for My Web Presence

found the live at the whisky a go go cover in portland

Sources Consulted Included


  • OtisRedding.com
  • Wikipedia
  • RollingStone.com
  • Biography.com
  • YouTube.com
  • Spotify

Preview(opens in a new tab)

Album photo credits: somewhere between the Otis Redding estate and the Amazon affiliate program.

Last updated by Finn at August 12, 2020.

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