#TBT: Here’s Three Otis Redding Classics To Give You ALL The Feels

By Sameer Rao Dec 10, 2015

Before his tragic death at the age of 26, Otis Redding accomplished more than many of his contemporaries. 

The Georgia-born singer built an empire with the Memphis-based Stax Records. His distinct, raspy croon took center stage on some of the label’s most-successful releases, bringing their brand of horn-heavy soul to audiences worldwide. Initially popular with and marketed to Black audiences, Redding found crossover success in the mid-60s, performing with Stax’s notably-integrated Booker T. and the MGs during a legendary set at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967 and becoming popular with rock-loving White crowds in the process.

His success made him extremely wealthy, enabling him to buy a private airplane; it was in this plane that Redding died on December 10, 1967, during a crash landing in Wisconsin. In the aftermath, Redding became the first artist with a posthmous Billboard Hot 100-topping song: 1968’s "(Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay."

To commemorate Redding’s significant legacy and influence on R&B, here are three of his best-known songs, all of which remain staples ("Respect," in particular, was reimagined by Aretha Franklin and became her best-known song) well into the present. 

Did we miss your favorite Otis Redding track? Let us know in the comments!