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Otis Redding

Otis Redding

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Otis Redding

Book Excerpt by Lenny Kaye, David Dalton, Rock 100, 1977

"I FIRST MET HIM IN 1962," SAYS STEVE Cropper who co-wrote two of Otis's hits, 'Fa, Fa, Fa, Fa, Fa' and 'Dock Of The Bay', ...

Audio interviews

Phil Walden (1971)

Interview by Charlie Gillett, Rock's Backpages audio, 1971

It's 1971, and the Allmans are on the rise, Jimmy Carter is in the Governor's Mansion, and Otis is four-years-dead: Capricorn man Phil Walden and pals look back at Otis, the MGs, and discuss race and the South with remarkable frankness.

File format: mp3; file size: 100.9mb, interview length: 1h 45' 03" sound quality: **

D.A. Pennebaker (2014)

Interview by Barney Hoskyns, Rock's Backpages audio, April 2014

The film director revisits making Bob Dylan movie Dont Look Back; working with Albert and Sally Grossman; Dylan's wife Sara; the post-motorcycle accident Dylan in Woodstock; the 1966 tour film; shooting Otis Redding at Monterey... and playing Billie Holiday to Janis Joplin.

File format: mp3; file size: 69.9mb, interview length: 1h 12' 50" sound quality: ****

List of articles in the library

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Otis Redding: The Two-Sided Bluester

Profile by Norman Jopling, Record Mirror, 1 May 1965

VERSATILITY is often the sign of greatness on the music scene. The same applies to the blues, and one of its most popular modern exponents ...

Tracy Thomas discovers Stones Knock Otis Out!

Interview by Tracy Thomas, New Musical Express, 31 December 1965

THEY call James Brown, "Mr. Dynamite," Roy Head is known as "Mr. Rubber Legs." But the title "Mr. Soul" belongs exclusively to Otis Redding, one ...

Otis R.: The Man Who Sings As Though He Means It

Profile by Norman Jopling, Record Mirror, 22 January 1966

EVERY SINGER, no matter how good or bad, has one dominating thought in mind when making a record. Simply, will this be the record to ...

Top Tunes: Otis Redding

Interview by Ronnie Oberman, Evening Star, The (Washington DC), 29 January 1966

WHEN OTIS Redding sang his last big hit, 'Respect', he must have been talking about his fans. ...

Otis Redding: Otis Blue (Atlantic ATL 5041) ***

Review by uncredited writer, Record Mirror, 12 February 1966

Final R&B acceptance for the STONES? (Yes, Otis has recorded 'Satisfaction') ...

Otis Redding, the Rising Sons: Whisky a Go Go, Los Angeles CA

Live Review by Pete Johnson, Los Angeles Times, 2 April 1966

Otis Redding's Southern-Style Blues Band Lets Off Steam ...

Local Girl Joins Otis Redding Show at the Apollo Theater

Interview by uncredited writer, KRLA Beat, 9 July 1966

AN ATTRACTIVE 23-year-old blond dancer from Hollywood is currently appearing at the Apollo Theater in New York with the fantastic Otis Redding Show. ...

Bob Dylan, James Brown, Otis Redding et al: Album Reviews

Review by uncredited writer, Melody Maker, 13 August 1966

Dylan rocks through 4 great sides ...

Otis Redding: Rheingold Music Festival, Central Park, New York NY

Live Review by Robert Shelton, The New York Times, 18 August 1966

OTIS REDDING STARS IN 2 PARK CONCERTS ...

Otis in England: a big, dynamic voice

Interview by uncredited writer, Disc and Music Echo, 17 September 1966

"BRITISH AUDIENCES," Otis Redding said after his debut in this country at Colston Hall, Bristol, "are the greatest." He went on, "But they didn't hear ...

Otis Redding: Mr Cool and The Clique From Memphis

Interview by uncredited writer, Melody Maker, 17 September 1966

OTIS REDDING is unbelievably cool. Or is it just travel-weariness. Who knows? When he landed on English soil last week to introduce himself and prepare ...

Otis Redding at Tiles: 16.09.1966

Live Review by Bill Millar, Soul Music Monthly, October 1966

OTIS SHOULD receive a mention in the Financial Times this year. The attendances on his recent our, especially in the London area, were quite phenomenal. ...

The Soul Parade

Overview by Maureen O'Grady, Rave, November 1966

RAVE's Maureen O'Grady puts on parade some of the greatest and the latest singers of "soul". The sound the "in" crowd said would happen. ...

Otis Redding & Wilson Pickett: For Soul Brothers — A Bumper Crop Of LPs

Review by uncredited writer, Disc and Music Echo, 12 November 1966

FOR ALL discotheque darlings and soul brothers and sisters Atlantic in Britain have re-released a bumper crop of albums. ...

Singles from the Who, Otis Redding, Small Faces, Lorraine Ellison and more

Review by Penny Valentine, Disc and Music Echo, 12 November 1966

WHO PLUS BATMAN: A MINI BONANZA! ...

Blind Date: The Four Tops

Review by uncredited writer, Melody Maker, 19 November 1966

The stars single out the new singles ...

Otis Redding, Grateful Dead: Fillmore Auditorium, San Francisco CA

Live Review by Philip Elwood, The San Francisco Examiner, 21 December 1966

Otis Redding — Rhythm and Blues Tidal Wave ...

Atlantic '67

Report and Interview by Bill Harry, Record Mirror, 24 December 1966

FRANK FENTER is a tall, tanned, talkative South African who has a way of expression with his hands that would do credit to an Italian. ...

New Singles from the Rolling Stones, Four Tops et al

Review by Peter Jones, Record Mirror, 14 January 1967

GOODIES THIS WEEK INCLUDE A MUCH-BETTER ROLLING STONES, SIMILAR, BUT DISTINCTIVE SOUND FROM TOPS, AND A PLAINTIVE PAUL JONES, NOT-SO INSTANT VAUDEVILLE BAND, AND A ...

New Singles from the Rolling Stones, Otis Redding et al

Review by uncredited writer, Melody Maker, 14 January 1967

Stones old firm back in strength ...

Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, Percy Sledge et al: New Albums Reviewed by Norman Jopling and Peter Jones

Review by Peter Jones, Norman Jopling, Record Mirror, 14 January 1967

Rhythm & Blues galore! ...

Blind Date: Dave Dee

Review by uncredited writer, Melody Maker, 21 January 1967

PAUL JONES: 'I've Been A Bad Bad Boy' (HMV). Sounds a bit like Paul Jones. Great — I like this one. I like that 'bad, ...

Otis Redding In London

Report by Miranda Ward, Hit Parader, February 1967

WHEN OTIS REDDING was over here, Ready, Steady, Go! built up an entire programme around him, using his own band (only 9 of them came over, ...

Otis Redding: The Otis Redding Dictionary Of Soul (Atlantic 587050)

Review by uncredited writer, Beat Instrumental, March 1967

MR. REDDING has notched up many, many sales and he should be O.K.. with this one. For my money there's more to it than his ...

Otis Redding, Sam & Dave et al: Finsbury Park Astoria, London

Live Review by Norman Jopling, Record Mirror, 25 March 1967

STAX SHOW REVIEW — & THE FIRST LP'S ...

Otis Redding, Sam & Dave et al: Stax/Volt Revue Tour, Finsbury Park Astoria, London

Live Review by Nick Jones, Melody Maker, 25 March 1967

STAX — THE RAVE SHOW TO END 'EM ALL ...

Otis Redding, Sam and Dave et al: "Hit the Road Stax", Finsbury Park Astoria, London

Live Review by Hugh Nolan, Disc and Music Echo, 25 March 1967

Stax sensation ...

Stax-Volt Review: Finsbury Park Astoria, London

Live Review by Bill Millar, Soul Music, April 1967

It was perfectly clear that every performer on the Stax show was going to receive the most sympathetic applause should he or she subsequently turn ...

R.M. Stax Show Review Row — Label Manager Replies To Criticism

Readers' Letters by uncredited writer, Record Mirror, 1 April 1967

RECORD MIRROR'S Norman Jopling went to the very first performance of the "Hit The Road Stax" tour in Britain — first house at Finsbury Park. ...

Various Artists: Hit The Road Stax; Sam and Dave: Double Dynamite (both Stax)

Review by uncredited writer, Disc and Music Echo, 8 April 1967

Sam and Dave plus a Stax of soul! ...

A Talk With Otis Redding

Interview by Alan Smith, New Musical Express, 15 April 1967

BIG OTIS REDDING tugged a comb through his wiry hair, wiped a trickling bead of perspiration from his glistening face, and sat edgily on a ...

Albums from Elvis Presley, Judy Collins, Eddie Floyd et al

Review by Peter Jones, Norman Jopling, Record Mirror, 15 April 1967

Remarkable sincerity on El's How Great Thou Art album. ...

The Stax Controversy

Readers' Letters by Norman Jopling, uncredited writer, Record Mirror, 15 April 1967

THE FACTS are these. Record Mirror columnist Norman Jopling reviewed the Stax show. Frank Fenter, manager of Atlantic Records replied. Then, Record Mirror readers wrote, ...

Loraine Alterman On Records: England's Exciting New Flavor: Fresh Cream

Review by Loraine Alterman, Detroit Free Press, 23 April 1967

TO REACH Mecca in pop music means finding your own sound. Very few make it. Most groups fall down somewhere along the way. ...

The Memphis Sound: Otis Leads the Way

Profile by Mike Gormley, The Ottawa Journal, 5 May 1967

FOR A LONG time now, the public has been thrilled by the essence of Otis Redding. His original contribution has conquered the world of music ...

At Monterey Fairgounds: 1st Pop Music Festival Draws Large Crowds

Report by Pete Johnson, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 1967

MONTEREY — Thirty thousand people swelled the city of Monterey over the weekend for the first International Festival of Pop Music, held in the outdoor ...

Keith Altham Planes West to Cover America's Monterey Pop Festival and Cables This Day-By-Day Report

Report by Keith Altham, New Musical Express, 24 June 1967

WE DROVE to London Airport in Animal manager Mike Jeffery's Rolls-Royce while he dictated a few last minute instructions to assistant Tony Garland — "Ring ...

Monterey Pop Festival: The Hip Homunculus

Report by Richard Goldstein, The Village Voice, 29 June 1967

"The West is the best: Get here and we'll do the rest!" — The Doors ...

Monterey Pop Festival: Inside Looking Out

Interview by uncredited writer, KRLA Beat, 15 July 1967

BEAT: Just wanted to get your comments on what's happening here in Monterey this weekend. ...

Monterey: KRLA Picks Up On The Action At Outasite Pop Festival

Interview by uncredited writer, KRLA Beat, 15 July 1967

"THIS IS BEAUTIFUL...this is beautiful," Mama Cass laughed over and over again as she sat in the press headquarters on Saturday night at the Monterey ...

Otis Redding: "Soul Survivor"

Interview by Jim Delehant, Hit Parader, August 1967

WHO WILL be the big soul singer, the one to last and last? We have James Brown, Joe Tex, Wilson Pickett and the subject of ...

Loraine Alterman on Records: New Albums from Vanilla Fudge, Big Brother et al

Review by Loraine Alterman, Detroit Free Press, 3 September 1967

Vanilla Fudge: Exciting Album ...

Otis, The King Of Soul

Report by uncredited writer, Melody Maker, 16 December 1967

OTIS REDDING, voted as the worlds number one male vocalist in this year's MM Pop Poll, died in an air crash on Sunday night. A ...

Albums from the Who, Otis Redding and the Chambers Brothers

Review by Pete Johnson, Los Angeles Times, 17 December 1967

Biggest Happening in Album Covers ...

To Otis

Obituary by Norman Jopling, Record Mirror, 23 December 1967

The life and music of Otis Redding — and some tributes... ...

Otis Redding R.I.P.

Obituary by uncredited writer, Soul Music Monthly, 1968

THE IRONY of Otis Redding was his personal ambition — to fill the gap left in the soul world by the shooting in 1964 of ...

New Albums from Fleetwood Mac, Paul Butterfield, Captain Beefheart et al

Review by uncredited writer, Melody Maker, 24 February 1968

PETER GREEN'S FLEETWOOD MAC: Fleetwood Mac (Blue Horizon). One of the group events of last year for blues fans was the formation of the ex-Mayall guitarist Peter Green's ...

Otis Redding: Otis New Hit His Greatest Tribute

Comment by Alan Smith, New Musical Express, 2 March 1968

DURING HIS all-too-brief lifetime, Otis Redding was respected by the world of music — and virtually ignored in his own home town of Macon, Georgia. ...

Bonanza Atlantic LP Issue: Solomon Burke, Aretha Franklin, Joe Tex et al

Review by Norman Jopling, Record Mirror, 9 March 1968

IN AN EFFORT to smash the Tamla domination of the LP market, the rival R&B giant Atlantic have put out a batch of soul and ...

Otis Redding — Fare Thee Well

Obituary by Jim Delehant, Hit Parader, April 1968

AN AIRPLANE belonging to Otis Redding Enterprises fell into the freezing waters of a Wisconsin lake, Sunday, December 10, and the following day skin divers ...

Albums from Otis Redding, the Young Rascals and Vanilla Fudge

Review by uncredited writer, KRLA Beat, 4 April 1968

THE DOCK OF THE BAY (Volt) Otis Redding. 'Open the Door', 'Tramp', 'Glory of Love' plus nine other tracks. ...

Conley Cuts Tribute to Otis

Interview by Alan Smith, New Musical Express, 13 April 1968

A RECORD tracing the deep bond of friendship and artistic respect between Otis Redding and himself has been waxed by Otis' "Soul Protégé" Arthur Conley. ...

Otis' Ambition Was To Replace Sam Cooke...

Obituary by Norman Jopling, Record Mirror, 13 April 1968

ABOUT THREE years ago I wrote a feature on Otis Redding as part of a series called "Great Unknowns". It was based on four records ...

A Sad Reminder Of The Great Otis: Otis Redding: Dock Of The Bay

Review by Alan Smith, New Musical Express, 11 May 1968

ALMOST EVERY TRACK of Otis Redding's new Dock Of The Bay album is a constant and sad reminder of the sheer soul — there is, ...

James Brown, Box Tops, Albert King, Otis Redding et al, Album Reviews

Review by Peter Jones, Norman Jopling, Record Mirror, 18 May 1968

Loads of R&B albums including Otis' great Dock Of The Bay LP ...

"The Otis Redding I Knew", by Steve Cropper

Interview by Jim Delehant, Hit Parader, June 1968

MY ORIGINAL feeling for Otis wound up to be my final feeling for Otis. He was a pure man. Anything you say about him has ...

Otis Redding: Otis Redding in Person at the Whisky A Go Go; Cream: Live At The Fillmore

Review by Lon Goddard, Record Mirror, 14 December 1968

'LIVE' LPs FROM CREAM & OTIS. ...

1968: The Shaken City Walls

Overview by Geoffrey Cannon, The Guardian, 24 December 1968

"AN ELECTRIC caterwauling of power... burning it, flashing it, whirling it down some arc of consciousness, the sound screaming up to a climax of vibrations ...

Bound To Be A Big Hit: Otis Redding: The Dock Of The Bay (Atco)

Review by Richard Green, New Musical Express, 7 June 1969

IT'S ALMOST a waste of time to review an Otis Redding album: everybody already knows how great he was. ...

Arthur Conley: Soul's not dead, it's just changed

Interview by Royston Eldridge, Melody Maker, 15 November 1969

OTIS REDDING and Sam Cooke, whose tragic deaths robbed the music world of two of its biggest talents, were both responsible for much of the ...

Otis Redding, Jimi Hendrix Experience: Historic Performances Recorded Live at Monterey (Reprise MS2029)

Review by Vernon Gibbs, Columbia Daily Spectator, 5 October 1970

CHILLING. EVERY note sends raw, nervous bundles of uncertainty racing through your head. Reprise, which originally planned this album to capitalize on the festival furore ...

The Allman Brothers: A Rock Tragedy

Report and Interview by Roger St. Pierre, New Musical Express, 9 December 1972

WHEN BERRY Oakley died two hours after crashing his motorcycle on November 11, another chapter was added to the succession of tragedy which seems to ...

Otis Redding

Essay by Dave Marsh, Let It Rock, January 1974

LET'S GET one thing straight. Otis Redding's posthumous rise to the Kingship of soul is highly suspect. He earned the accolade a little too easily ...

Otis Redding: A Legend During His Lifetime, Or Only After His Death

Retrospective by Roger St. Pierre, New Musical Express, 21 December 1974

The former, argues ROGER ST. PIERRE, in this appreciation of OTIS REDDING, who died seven years ago this month – the Boss Man soul music ...

Otis Redding: Otis Blue (Atco)

Review by Richard Cook, New Musical Express, 1984

AS WITH SUCH iconic records as Forever Changes and Anthem Of The Sun, time has eroded the stature of Otis Blue. ...

The Voice Squad

Overview by Barney Hoskyns, New Musical Express, 12 January 1985

From the raw to the pure, from the sublime to the meticulous — BARNEY HOSKYNS sings the praises of 24 of music's most glorious voices. ...

Otis Redding: The Definitive Otis Redding

Sleeve notes by Carol Cooper, Rhino Records, 1993

THE HISTORY IN JUNE 1993, Essence magazine published the results of a listener poll conducted by WBGO-FM’s Felix Hernandez, host of the weekly rhythm & ...

Honey and Sandpaper: Sam Cooke's disciples

Retrospective by Barney Hoskyns, MOJO, January 1995

The deep and enduring influence of Mr Soul. ...

Monterey International Pop Festival

Review by Max Bell, Uncut, March 1998

Four-CD box set of the 1967 Summer Of Love festival ...

Various Artists: The Complete Stax/Volt Singles 1959-68

Review by Ian MacDonald, Uncut, September 1998

Epic set of Sixties soul classics, formerly import-only ...

Otis Redding: The Replacement

Retrospective by John D. Wyker, Cat Tales, 26 July 1999

I went to low school and high school in Decatur, Alabama, which is 45 miles east of Muscle Shoals. The high school girls had sororities ...

Stax: The Stax Story

Review by Ian MacDonald, Uncut, March 2001

Four-disc overview for the label that brought you sweet soul music ...

Johnny Jenkins, 1939-2006

Obituary by Ken Hunt, The Guardian, 16 September 2006

Flamboyant musician who influenced Hendrix and Otis Redding ...

Dreams To Remember: The Legacy of Otis Redding DVD; Stax/Volt Revue Live In Norway 1967 DVD

Report and Interview by Harvey Kubernik, Rock's Backpages, November 2007

REELIN' IN THE Years Productions and Stax Records (a division of Concord Music Group) has issued Dreams To Remember: The Legacy of Otis Redding on ...

see also Phil Walden

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