Otis Redding's extraordinary Southern soul voice resonates down the years as a thing of profound beauty and unfathomable emotional depth. His unique vocal delivery gave Motown's pop artists a run for their money, while his stage presence matched pioneering funk magus - and fellow Georgia native - James Brown for sheer entertainment value.
Crucial to the success of the Stax label, Redding quickly rose from obscurity and, thanks to his dizzying performance at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967, was poised for major crossover success.
However, on December 10, 1967, he was killed when his private plane crashed into Lake Monoma near Madison, Wisconsin. '(Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay', recorded just a week earlier, went straight to Number 1, prompting widespread speculation on what Otis Redding might have achieved had his life not been cut brutally short.
In this, the first serious profile of the soul legend, Geoff Brown talks to Stax illuminati Booker T Jones, Isaac Hayes and David Porter, plus many others, about his tragically brief life and incredible talent.
