A Blues for Otis: The Life and Legacy of a Soul Legend

Thank you! I nodded my head many times when reading this. Otis is one of my absolute favorite singers, one whose expressiveness inspires awe in me any time I hear “Try a Little Tenderness,” “These Arms of Mine,” and a whole lot of other tracks. The 4-CD box set ("Otis! The Definitive Otis Redding") attests to the sheer volume of great music he recorded in just a few years. What a writer, what an interpreter (possibly the greatest of the last few decades), and what a brilliant architect of a unique sound that, as you say, is often overlooked. His music has enriched my life, and it saddens me to think of how much more could have been accomplished after “(Sittin’ on the) Dock of the Bay.” A brilliant artist all around to whom I will be listening a lot this season.

Comment by Josh from Indiana, USA — December 7, 2007 @ 3:56 pm

Otis’ performance of “Try a Little Tenderness” at Monterey Pop is quite amazing...awakens goosebumps.

Comment by Christian John Wikane — December 7, 2007 @ 4:57 pm

One can never insist too much on the greatness of Otis Redding.

His music encompasses so many aspects of Life it is a miracle.

It is everything music should be :
it political but highly danceable, raw and sophisticated, it is the perfect soundtrack for a night of sweet loving and also the perfect soundtrack for lonely broken hearted nights.

Many thanks for reminding us of a wonderful artist.

Comment by Julien Decorte from Brussels, Belgium — December 8, 2007 @ 5:38 am

his performance is great
http://www.spymac.com/details/?2315603

Comment by Esteban from Argentina — December 8, 2007 @ 4:37 pm

Claudrena and Pop,

Thank you so much for this article.  It made my Sunday morning.  i got up with Otis Blue and hoped to find something on popmatters worthy of the Big O. As usual, i was not disappointed.

To gush about a man like Otis Redding is easy but to do the gushing with some perspective takes some pace.  Thank you for giving me a little to think about while i swallow the lumps and slide around the kitchen floor.

Take care all..

Comment by chris linton from South Korea — December 8, 2007 @ 11:32 pm

I am fortunate to have seen Otis perform in New Orleans in 1965. I am more fortunate to have his body of work on my iPod and in my computers and among my CDs. He lives, and he soothes my savage breast during the miserable and melancholy moments, then he urges me to heights of happiness and heavenly joy when I triumph.

The coin of the realm has two sides: Fa-fa and Dum-dum, the yin and the yang of Otis — and that of Everyman’s soul.

Comment by Mike Coogan from Baton Rouge — December 9, 2007 @ 9:00 am

What a splendid article! Claudrena’s elegant writing captures the essence of Otis and the gifts he gave us. Forty years on, he still has the power to move us, to tap into our greatest joys and deepest sorrows, and in doing so, to make us more fully human.

Comment by Helen from Baltimore, MD — December 11, 2007 @ 12:58 pm

Thank you, Claudrena, for your perceptive and finely written appreciation of Otis.

“Dock of the Bay” was released at about the same time I began my career in radio, so as a neophyte deejay I played it many times.  Perhaps I’m not alone in regretting that it is the one song most people associate with Otis.  Why?  Because to me it is a pop ballad, too smooth, too polished.  He’s too much a crooner.  It lacks the deep visceral power, the raw emotion and the sheer intensity of his best performance.  I’ve never believed it best represented his music. 

In that regard, I will never forget the first time I heard his Monterey Pop performance of “Try a Little Tenderness.” The hair stood up on the back of my neck when I heard it then, and it does to this day when I listen to that track or watch the video of his set.

THAT is Otis Redding to me . . . the very definition of soul.

Comment by Nick from New York — December 22, 2007 @ 6:16 am