The King of Soul, Mr. Otis Ray Redding Jr., was born in Dawson, Georgia today in 1941.
From some hack:
"Otis Redding was only 26 years old when he died and he left behind a wife and two kids along with an incredible musical legacy. For casual fans, Redding is most often associated with the song “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay”, which he recorded only four days before he died. That song is actually a poor example of Redding’s overall catalog as it was a very dramatic shift from Redding’s classic R&B/soul sound toward a more folk/rock vibe.
Long before “The Dock of the Bay”, Redding earned the title of The King of Soul. He was a multi-instrumentalist who was once part of Little Richard’s backing band. Redding was a pioneer of the Stax Sound and the finest purveyor of Southern soul music ever born. A gifted songwriter in addition to his singing prowess, Redding wrote the mega-smash “Respect” that was popularized by Aretha Franklin while The Black Crowes turned his song “Hard to Handle” into a hit 22 years after the original was released.
Redding always stood out among his peers and history has proved him to be among the most influential singers in history. The list of performers influenced by Redding is exhausting and it crosses multiple genres and styles. The Rolling Stones, Delbert McClinton, Marvin Gaye, Jerry Garcia, the Doors, Tom Jones, Led Zeppelin, The Blues Brothers, Etta James, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Al Green, George Harrison, Jay-Z and Kanye West all count themselves as students of Otis Redding.
Redding was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989, his first year of eligibility."
https://www.elevenwarriors.com/forum/anything-else/2015/12/64884/otis-re...
