Otis Redding Jr. (September 9, 1941 – December 10, 1967) was a singer and composer from the United States. He is regarded as one of the finest singer-songwriters in American popular music history, as well as a pivotal figure in soul music and rhythm & blues. Redding dubbed the “King of Soul,” drew inspiration for his singing technique from the gospel music that predated the genre. His singing style impacted many other 1960s soul performers.
Who is Otis Redding?
Otis Redding was born the fourth of six children and the first son of Otis Redding Sr. and Fannie Roseman in Dawson, Georgia. Redding Sr. was a sharecropper before working at Robins Air Force Base in Macon and preaching in local churches. The family relocated to Tindall Heights, a primarily African-American public housing project in Macon when Redding was three years old.
He began singing in the Vineville Baptist Church choir and learning guitar and piano at a young age. Redding began taking drum and singing classes at the age of ten. He sang in the school band at Ballard-Hudson High School.
Every Sunday, he earned $6 by singing gospel songs for Macon radio station WIBB, and he won $5 in a teen talent event for 15 weeks in a row. Singing was his love, and he frequently listed Little Richard and Sam Cooke as influences. Redding stated that he “would not be here” if Little Richard had not been there for him, and that he “entered the music business because of Richard – he is my inspiration.” I used to sing rock ‘n’ roll songs like Little Richard… My current music contains a lot of him.
Redding dropped out of school at the age of 15 to assist financially support his family; his father had tuberculosis and was frequently hospitalized, leaving his mother as the family’s sole revenue earner. He worked as a well digger, a petrol station attendant and a musician on the side. Gladys Williams, a well-known Macon musician who inspired Redding, frequently performed at the Hillview Springs Social Club, and Redding occasionally played piano with her band there. Williams held Sunday talent showcases, which Redding and two friends, singers Little Willie Jones and Eddie Roswell, attended.
How old did Otis Redding die?
The renowned Singer died at the age of 26 years old.
What was Otis Redding Career?
A member of Pat T. Cake and the Mighty Panthers, Redding toured the Southern United States on the Chitlin’ Circuit, a string of venues that were hospitable to African-American entertainers during the era of racial segregation, which lasted into the early 1960s. Johnny Jenkins left the band to become the featured artist with the Pinetoppers. Around this time, Redding met Phil Walden, the future founder of the recording company Phil Walden and Associates, and later Bobby Smith, who ran the small label Confederate Records.
He joined with Confederate and released a song, “Shout Bamalama” (a reworking of “Gamma Lamma”), and a video for “Fat Girl” with his band, Otis and the Shooters. He and the Pinetoppers went to a “Battle of the Bands” performance in Lakeside Park about this time. Wayne Cochran, Confederate’s sole solo musician, joined the Pinetoppers as bassist.
When Walden began looking for a record label for Jenkins, Atlantic Records representative Joe Galkin expressed interest and sent him to the Stax studio in Memphis in 1962. Jenkins, who did not have a driver’s license, was driven to the session by Redding.
The session with Jenkins, who was backed up by Booker T. & the M.G.’s, was unproductive and finished early; Redding was only permitted to sing two songs. The first was “Hey Hey Baby,” which was rejected by studio head Jim Stewart because it sounded too much like Little Richard. “These Arms of Mine” was the second song, and it featured Jenkins on guitar and Steve Cropper on piano.
“Everybody was fixin’ to go home, but Joe Galkin insisted we give Otis a listen,” Stewart later said of Redding’s performance. [The ballad] had a unique quality to it. He put his heart and soul into it.” Stewart signed with Redding and released “These Arms of Mine” as the lead single, with “Hey Hey Baby” as the B-side. Volt released the single in October 1962, and it charted in March of the following year. It went on to become one of his most successful songs, selling over 800,000 copies.
What was Otis Redding net worth?
At the time of his death, Redding had a net worth of $10 million.
Who is Otis Redding married to?
Redding met Zelma Atwood, 17, at “The Teenage Party” when he was 18 years old. She gave birth to their son Dexter in the summer of 1960, about a year later, and married Redding in August 1961. Otis relocated to Los Angeles with his sister, Deborah, in the mid-1960s, while Zelma and the children remained in Macon, Georgia.
How many Children did Otis Redding own?
Dexter, Demetria, Karla, and Otis III (December 17, 1964 – April 18, 2023) were Redding and his wife’s four children. Zelma eventually managed Otis, Dexter, and cousin Mark Lockett’s band, the Reddings. She also worked for the janitorial firm Maids Over Macon, as well as many nightclubs and booking agencies.
Source: thpttranhungdao.edu.vn/en/
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Source: thpttranhungdao.edu.vn/en/
