Otis Redding

1941-1967 - American soul singer, Stax/Volt Records

Redding recorded the song at Stax in Memphis in 1966 with Booker T. & the M.G.’s, Isaac Hayes shaping the arrangement, and released it on Volt/Atco V-141 and on Complete & Unbelievable: The Otis Redding Dictionary of Soul. He rebuilt it from the ground up: a slow, almost hymnal opening that escalates into an unstoppable finish. It peaked at No. 25 on the Billboard Hot 100, entered the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2015 and sits at No. 136 on Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Songs list. The only error anyone makes about it is chronological.

Who recorded it

Songs involving Otis Redding

Respect

Recorded it first — now often credited to Aretha Franklin

Try a Little Tenderness

Cover — originally recorded by Jack Payne and His Band

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