Biographic - Sunday April 8, 2018 Comic Strip Licensing and Permissions

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Born in Dawson, Georgia, on September 9, 1941, Otis Redding was raised in Macon. He left school at 15 to help support his family and worked various jobs, including gas station attendant while pursuing his musical ambitions. By 1958, he was the frontman with Patt. Cake and The Mighty Panthers, before being hired by The Upsetters when his hero Little Richard, quit rock and roll in favor of gospel music. His solo career took off in 1963 with the success of the single "These Arms of Mine." Like most of the tracks on his debut album, the song was a ballad, which led on DJ to label him "Mr. Pitiful," inspiring Otis and guitarist Steve Cropper to write a hit single by that name! By 1965, thanks to tracks such as "I've Been Loving You Too Long," "Respect" and "I Can't Turn You Loose" Otis was one of the soul's hottest stars! He enjoyed the trappings of fame and fortune, including a 300-acre ranch and a wardrobe that housed 200 suits and 400 pairs of shoes- but he set his sights on parlaying his R&B acclaim into mainstream pop and rock success. He was one of the first soul stars to play rock venues, touring Europe and mowing rock fans at the Monterey Pop Festival. He had a hit with a cover of the Rolling Stones rocker "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction," made "Try A Little Tenderness" his own and teamed up with Carla Thomas for the singles "Tramp" and "Knock on Wood," Tragedy struck in December 1967, when the 26-year-old star and four members of his road band, The Bar-Kay 5, died when their small plane crashed into the icy waters of a Wisconsin lake. The only survivor was Ben Cauley- at 20, the oldest member of The Bar-Kay 5. Bassist James Alexander missed the crash, having been forced to take a commercial flight due to lack of room on Redding's private plane. Written just days before his death "(Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay" was released in January 1968. It was No. 1 on the Billboard Charts for a month, the first posthumous song to top the U.S. charts. It sold more than 4 million copies and went on to win two Grammy Awards. Otis Redding, the "King Of Soul" was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989.

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