Otis Redding
http://thehoboride.blogspot.com/2011/12/this-day-in-rock-historydecember-10.html
Early Life
• Otis Redding was born
on Sept 9th, 1941.
• He is from Dawson,
Georgia.
• He dropped out of
school at the age of 15,
in order to support his
family by working for
other musicians and
singing at talent shows
•
(Otis redding)
http://www.soulwalking.co.uk/Otis%20Redding.htm
l
Early Career
http://addictedtovinyl.com/blog/2009/08/14/new-otisredding-best-of-due-from-shout-factory-on-october-20th/
• He started off his
musical career by
working with Little
Richard’s band, The
Upsetters
• A few years later, he
started working with a
different band, The
Pinetoppers
•
(Otis redding)
His Big Break
• While working with the Pinetoppers, Redding finally
got his big break.
• He signed with Stax Records and released his first
solo album on Jan. 1st, 1964.
• His songs included “Pain In My Heart”, “(Sittin’ On)
The Dock of the Bay”, and “These Arms of Mine”
• He was inducted into the Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame in
1989
•
(Otis redding)
Death
• On Dec. 10th, 1967, the
plane carrying Otis
Redding and his back up
band crashed into Lake
Monona on their way to
Madison, WI.
• Even though his career
was short, Redding
made a huge impact on
the musical world.
•
(Otis redding)
http://portalwisconsin.wordpress.com/2010
/12/06/the-day-otis-redding-dieddecember10-1967-lake-monona-wi/
Musical Style
• Vocal talent
– Otis had an intriguing voice that “created a new
emotional standard for southern soul”
•
Band
–
He was backed by one of the best rhythm sections
in history; Booker T. & the M.G.’s
Musical Style (cont.)
•
No backing vocals
–
Started the use of horn dialogue, in place of
traditional backing vocals, for call-and-response
segments
• The King of Soul
– Music was filled with vocal melismas, extended
periods of interpolation, and improvisation
– Otis had a strong connection with the music
Performance Style
• Stage fright
– Otis never got over his stage fright, and it would
show during his performances
– He would practically freeze from the waist down
Performance Style (cont.)
• Band leader
Otis and The Bar Keys
http://moonjunk.tumblr.com/post/10445700307/
otis-redding-and-his-backing-band-the-bar-keys
– The band members
were all friends of
Otis and would
always have fun on
stage together
– Otis was able to
command the band
just by reacting
powerfully to the
music
Performance Style (cont.)
• Audience
– He loved to make a connection with his audience
– Constantly aware of the listener, and constantly
interacting
Main Influences
• Little Richard
– Went on tour with Little
Richard
– His inspiration and idolization
gave Otis Redding a style
imitating Little Richard in his
youth
– Later, his idol Little Richard
inducted him into the Rock
and Roll Hall of Fame
• Sam Cooke
– Sam Cooke’s distinctive
trademark high notes are
found in much of Otis
Reddings’ music
•
(Shmoop Editorial Team, 2008;
Brennen, 2008)
Little Richard
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005153/
Other Influences
• Eric Clapton
• Jimi Hendrix
• Both can be heard in his
later more rock and roll
works like “Hard to
Handle”
•
(Gulla, 2007)
Jimi Hendrix
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/jimihendrix
Influenced by Otis Redding
• Almost all other soul singers of the 1960’s were
influenced by Otis Redding
• He is often referred to as “The King of Soul” because
of his strong original influence
• There are many artists that feature covers of his work
– Aretha Franklin, The Doors, Pearl Jam, Kelly Clarkson, Willie
Nelson, Al Green, Kanye West, The Black Crows, and many more
•
(Shmoop Editorial Team, 2008; Brennen, 2008)
Influenced by Otis Redding (cont.)
• His sons Dexter and Otis
III also went into music
forming the Reddings
• Came out with a Top 10
R&B song called
“Remote Control”
• Consider their father a
great inspiration
•
(Shmoop Editorial Team, 2008;
Brennen, 2008)
The Reddings
http://www.cdandlp.com/item/2/36918-220204-0-10/115371016/the-reddings-if-looks-could-kill.html
Style and Fit
• Music of the 1950’s and early 1960’s consisted mainly of
white males. There were very few female artist/groups
who were popular at that time. The British Invasion of
the 1960’s, the emergence of Motown Records, and the
evolving nature of Rock and Roll during this period would
see artist become more experimental, innovative and
risky with their music.
• During this time period the roots of rock and roll(Pop,
C&W, and R&B) and the emergence of the basic rock and
roll styles (Mainstream, Rockabilly, and Soft Rock) were
the popular genres.
• Folk, Country, and Blues still remained relevant
Musical Style of the 1960’s
• Some of the top artist
during the 1960’s
include:
http://thebeatlesautographs.net/
http://www.britannica.com/
EBchecked/media/102011/T
he-Supremes-late-1960s
http://www.eonline.com/celebs/Elvis_Presley/
110703
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
The Beatles
Elvis
Beach Boys
Ray Charles
Rolling Stones
Supremes
The Byrds
Bob Dylan
4 Seasons
Sam Cooke
Musical Style of the 1960’s (cont.)
• Otis’ simple style followed some characteristics of ‘soul
music’ during the era and managed to stay uncomplicated.
Although influenced by artist like Little Richard, Sam Cooke
and even the Beatles (Sitting on the Dock of the Bay), Otis
preferred the successful formula of simple, blues
influenced ‘soul music’.
– “Basically, I like any music that remains simple and I feel this is
the formula that makes 'soul music' successful. When any music
form becomes cluttered and/or complicated you lose the
average listener's ear. There is nothing more beautiful than a
simple blues tune. There is beauty in simplicity whether you are
talking about architecture, art or music.” (1) – Soul Magazine
Social Influences
• Civil Rights Movement
– The Civil Rights Movement was a
movement sustained by music.
– Provided artist such as Otis the opportunity to pursue
business ventures and live the ‘American Dream’
• Owned Otis Redding Enterprises.
• Through performances, music publishing, royalties and
record sales, he earned more than a million dollars in 1967
alone (2)
• Counterculture Movement
– Movement driven by youth, produced a market for
rock, soul, pop, reggae and blues music.
Social Influences-People
• There was a constant threat
against the lives of blacks
and those supported
change, from black and
white dissenters
• Dr. Martin Luther King Jr
– “I Have A Dream” Speech promoted
social unity
• John F. Kennedy
– Election changed the political
dynamics of the country
– Assasination
• Medgar Evers
– NAACP field secretary. Assassinated
by a member of the Ku Klux Klan in
Jackson, Mississippi.
• Malcolm X
– Assassination
Martin Luther King Jr.
http://muslimmatters.org/2011/03/03/w
hat-does-the-civil-rights-movementmean-for-muslims/
Political Influences
• Vietnam War
– Anti-war movement
participants provided
inspiration to much of the
music during the 1960’s
– Draft
• Manager, Phil Walden and
brother, Rodgers Redding
were both drafted.
• Threats of War
http://www.boomerslife.org/protests_rally_ira
n_neda_agha_soltan.htm
– Cold War
– Made travel strenuous and
at times difficult
Musical Analysis
• The song that we chose to do our musical analysis on
is “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay
• We chose this song because it became a number one
hit on both the Pop and R&B charts after Otis
Reddings’ death
Musical Analysis
Instrumentation
• Instrumentation: The instruments that we hear used in
this particular song would be the drums, acoustic
guitar, bass guitar, what sounds like a piano or a
keyboard, and then there are some brass instruments
like a saxophone (I think it might actually be a
trombone)and trumpets.
• There are also some parts where I hear an electric
guitar as well
• The whistling of Otis Redding is also an
instrumentation in itself
• There is also some non-musical instrument sounds like
the whooshing sound of water at the very beginning of
the song to represent waves
Musical Analysis
Meter and Beat Subdivision
• Meter: The meter of this song would be
quadruple meter or duple meter.
– There are four beats per measure.
• Beat Subdivision: The beat subdivision in this
song would be a duple subdivision. It’s
difficult to hear but if you listen closely to the
drums you can pick up on it.
Musical Analysis
Texture and Form
• Texture: The texture of this song is definitely
homophonic melody and accompaniment. I feel
it is this because it is the singer only being
accompanied by musical instruments and no
back-up singers.
• Form: The form is AABA. The B is actually 3
stanzas, so it sounds like AABACAA if you’re
actually listening for different part feelings, but I
think the idea in AABA is that there is an altered
attention grabbing portion somewhere in the
middle, so it would fit with the categorization.
Legacy
•
Much of Stax Records’ success lies in the work of Otis
Redding
• Originally recorded country and rockabilly music
• Following his success there, Stax added “Soulville,
USA” to its title
Legacy (cont.)
• Otis Redding had a profound influence on the history
of soul music, as well as rock and roll
• Named “The King of Soul”
• Rolling Stones covered two of his songs
• In 1989, he was finally inducted into the Rock and Roll
Hall of Fame
• Jay-Z and Kanye West’s song, “Otis,” was Grammy
nominated for best rap song in 2011
Resources
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Brennan, C.(2008). "Cooke, Sam 1931—1964." Contemporary Black Biography. Retrieved
June 25, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G22871900023.html
"Eyewitness Tells of Otis Redding's Violent Death". Jet. December 28, 1967.
Gulla, B. (2007) “Otis Redding.” Icons of r&b: An encyclopedia of the artists who
revolutionized rhythm (Vol. 1, pp. 412). Ann Arbor, MI: Greenwood Press.
Guralnick, Peter (1999). Sweet Soul Music: Rhythm and Blues and the Southern Dream of
Freedom. Back Bay Books.
Hirsch, E.D. (1993). The Dictionary of Cultural Literacy. Houghton Mifflin.
Labrie, Peter (April 1968). "The Flame That Died". Black World/Negro Digest.
Otis redding. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://rockhall.com/inductees/otis-redding/bio/
Otis redding. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.crecon.com/davidwomack/otis redding.htm
Ritz, D. (2012). Otis redding. Retrieved from
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/494636/Otis-Redding
Scaruffi, P. (2005). A brief history of soul music. Retrieved from
http://www.scaruffi.com/history/soul.html
Scott Freeman, Otis!: The Otis Redding Story (New York: St. Martin's Griffin Press, 2001);
Rhino Records, Los Angeles, Otis!: the definitive Otis Redding [sound recording], (1993).
Shmoop Editorial Team (November 11, 2008).Otis Redding Influences. Retrieved June 25,
2012, from http://www.shmoop.com/dock-of-the-bay/influences.html
Whatman, R. (2006, May 26). Otis redding: Living at the apollo november 1963. Retrieved
from http://browneyedhandsomeman.blogspot.com/2006/05/otis-redding-live-at-apollonovember.html