Chapter 17: Soul, Motown, and Stax
One of the most powerful and influential voices in soul music, Otis Redding was a prolific singer-songwriter whose work helped define the sound of Stax Records and popularize Southern soul on a national and international scale. Born in Macon, Georgia, in 1941, Redding grew up steeped in gospel music. He played drums in church groups and sang with a gospel quartet before becoming the lead vocalist for guitarist Johnny Jenkins’s band, the Pinetoppers. In 1962, Redding traveled to Stax Studios in Memphis with Jenkins for a recording session. At the end of the session, he was given a chance to audition. This led to the recording of "These Arms of Mine" (1963), released on Stax’s Volt subsidiary and became his breakthrough hit.
Redding drew inspiration from artists such as Sam Cooke and Little Richard. He combined gospel-inflected vocal intensity with emotional urgency and expressive phrasing. He was known for inserting spoken or shouted words like “please,” “gotta,” and “baby” between sung phrases. This technique gave his performances a pleading, almost desperate quality that became a hallmark of his ballads. Songs such as "Pain in My Heart" (1964), "I've Been Loving You Too Long" (1965), and "Try a Little Tenderness" (1966) exemplify this emotive style.
Alongside his ballads, Redding also recorded up-tempo, riff-driven tracks such as "Respect" and "I Can't Turn You Loose" (both 1965). He performed powerful covers of The Rolling Stones’ " (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction" (1966) and Sam Cooke’s "Shake" (1967). Although Aretha Franklin’s version of "Respect" would become the definitive recording, Redding’s original 1965 rendition remains a milestone of his songwriting legacy. Over his career at Stax, he recorded more than 120 tracks, most of which featured backing by Booker T. and the MGs and the Memphis Horns rather than background singers. Redding played a key role in shaping horn arrangements at Stax. He favored syncopated horn lines that started in unison and resolved in harmony. He also popularized the use of horn ensemble sections as structural replacements for bridges or instrumental solos, an innovation that became a signature feature of the Stax sound.
Redding’s influence extended beyond his recordings. In 1967, he headlined the Stax/Volt European tour and was voted the number one male vocalist in Melody Maker’s annual readers’ poll, overtaking Elvis Presley for the first time. That same year, he performed a historic set at the Monterey Pop Festival, backed by Booker T. and the MGs. His appearance was significant both for the electrifying reception he received and because he was one of only two African American artists on the bill, the other being Jimi Hendrix. The performance introduced Redding to a broader white audience and marked a turning point in the crossover appeal of Southern soul.
Tragically, Redding died in a plane crash in December 1967, just days after the Monterey performance. At the time of his death, he had recorded a large number of new songs, including "(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay." Influenced by the introspective songwriting of Bob Dylan and The Beatles, this song represented a stylistic shift. It was more subdued and pop-oriented than his earlier work. Initially, the song was considered too mellow for his primarily Black audience. However, it was released posthumously and became a number one hit on both the pop and R&B charts. It also became the first posthumous number one single in U.S. history.