What if Otis Redding Had Lived?

Most of his colleagues hated Dock of the Bay? They did?

Atlantic didn't sell out to Warner so soon after his death; they sold out a month and a half before his death. And Atlantic owned the Stax masters regardless.

Would Redding have recorded Mr. Soul? Maybe, but the single had already been out about 6 months at the time of his death. Contrast that to Satisfaction, which was recorded a month after the release of the Stones' version.

To be clear, A Change Is Gonna Come was recorded nearly a year prior to Cooke's death.

 

If Sam Cooke had been there just as the Soul Music Explosion took off in 1967, it would have been amazing. In fact, it might have exploded much earlier if Sam had been alive. He was just emerging from the controls of the A&R men at RCA, starting to produce himself, and starting to write new kinds of songs. To me, Sam's death was perhaps the most tragic early death in popular music history, on par with Mozart's early death.

 

You get go wrong with Otis Redding, it's all great.

 

He did not make that many. If you want single albums, get the few that were released in his lifetime (Can't go wrong with Live in Europe). But there are so many bargain boxes or multi-disc sets out there that include many or most of his albums, get one of those. They cost very little

 

Can't thank you enough for posting that copy of Billboard in your reply---spent the last 15 minutes pouring over it and the ads for new releases, etc. And thank you also for correcting me about the Atlantic sale---my statement came from reading the book Dreams to Remember by Mark Ribowsky. His book and another I've read whose author escapes me both say that people at Stax/Volt didn't like "Dock," but that both Otis and Steve Cropper were sure it would be a hit.

 

According to Rob Bowman, Jim Stewart didn't feel it was as strong as I've Been Loving You Too Long and Phil Walden claimed "Most people had doubts about it", but those were apparently the reactions prior to its release, and I don't see anything about anyone hating it.

 

There's a piece in our local weekly in recognition of the 50th anniversary of Redding's death. >>>Soul finale<<<

 

"The Dock of the Bay" is an immortal song and a great album to boot. It's even got "Tramp"on it! One of the best.

 

he probably would have made an album of standards and done a stay at caesars palace by now.

 

Try A Little Tenderness, is a good one

 

Most of the songs he recorded became standards.

It seems your comment is intended as sarcastic criticism. But if that were to happen, it would have been wonderful.

 

Otis would have been a major shining star the entire time.
There is no question about it...

 

nope, no sarcasm at all......it seems to be the way to go nowadays for the old guys, and otis would be one of the old guys.

 

Like James Brown, Wilson Pickett , etc., he would had to change course for disco, hip hop, electro funk, etc., I am sure he would have had some successes adjusting, but in the end would have found it was easier touring incessantly and singing to the true believers. There would have been a reassessment sometime from the 90s onward with a possible duets album with mostly current pop stars and Dave Grohl. Or he simply could have found religion like Al Green and gone to his gospel roots.

 

Today marks the Fiftieth anniversary of the tragic loss of Mr. Redding.
From the CBC Radio's q With Tom Power, an interview: Guitarist Steve Cropper on Otis Redding's musical legacy.