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Grave of Otis Redding

Otis Redding, Jr (1941 - 1967) - Find A Grave Memorial Rhythm and Blues Singer. One of the most popular and critically acclaimed soul vocalist, songwriter and musician representatives of the R&B style known as Southern soul. He is generally regarded as the single most influential male soul artist of the 1960s. He was one of the first artists to broaden his appeal to white audiences with a raw, spontaneous style that bore a stark contrast to the smooth, sophisticated music of Motown. Otis Redding, Jr. was born on Sept. 9, 1941 in Dawson, Georgia, the son of a Baptist minister. He grew up in poverty in the Tindall Heights housing projects of Macon, Georgia, where he started singing in the church choir of Vineville Baptist Church. Redding later attended Ballad Hudson High School and participated in the band. He dropped out of high school in the tenth grade, determined to help his family financially. Redding went to work with Little Richard's former band, the Upsetters, serving as both chauffeur and vocalist as the group played the fraternity-house circuit. He also began to compete in local talent shows for the $5 prize, winning 15 straight times. Redding was discovered while singing with Macon guitarist Johnny Jenkins band, the Pine Toppers, and first recorded as a member of that group for the tiny Confederate label in 1960. He later married Zelma Atwood in Aug. of 1961 and they had three children and one that would later be adopted after his death. In Oct. of 1962, Jenkins and the group were booked to cut some sides at Stax Records in Memphis, Tennessee. Redding was invited at the end session to make his first solo album "These Arms of Mine." The album became the first of a series of soul ballads by Redding. After years of ambition and drive, his sacrifices had paid off. During the mid-1960s, Redding toured the United States playing numerous one-night engagements in theatres such as the Apollo in New York and clubs frequented by African-Americans. He also toured Canada, Europe, and the Caribb

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