Otis Ray Redding, Jr. was born September 9, 1941, and died December 10, 1967, one month before his biggest hit, "(Sittin' on) The Dock of the Bay," was released. Redding's name is synonymous with the term soul. Often called the "King of Soul," he is renowned for his ability to convey strong emotions through his gritty lyrics, hoarse vocals and brassy arrangements.

Redding was born in Dawson, Georgia. When he was 5, his family moved to Macon, Georgia. Redding sang in the choir at church, and as a teenager won the talent show at the Douglass Theatre in Macon for 15 weeks in a row. His early influences were Little Richard (aka: Richard Pennyman) and Sam Cooke. Redding said, "If it hadn't been for Little Richard, I would not be here. I entered the music business because of Richard...he is my inspiration. I used to sing like Little Richard, his Rock 'n' Roll stuff, you know. Richard has soul, too. My present music has a lot of him in it."