A definitive biography of Otis Redding, the musical artist who was widely regarded as the quintessential soul singer of the 1960s, timed to coincide with the 50th anniversary of Redding’s
iconic performance at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival.
Otis Redding remains a living presence in the canon of American popular music on the strength of such classic hits as "(Sittin’ on) The Dock of the Bay," “I’ve Been Loving You Too Long (To Stop
Now),” "Try a Little Tenderness," and "Respect," a song that Redding wrote and recorded before Aretha Franklin made it immortal. As a singer, songwriter, bandleader, and arranger, Redding
was the chief architect of the distinctly southern, gospel-inflected style of rhythm & blues associated with Stax Records in Memphis. Yet, while Redding’s music has long served as the
gold standard of 1960s soul, an aura of myth and mystery has always surrounded the story of his life, which was tragically cut short at the height of his career by his death in a plane crash in
December 1967.
Otis Redding is the biography that finally does justice to the unfinished life of the man who was once celebrated as the “King of Soul." Jonathan Gould’s book draws on
comprehensive research, the cooperation of the Redding family, and previously unavailable sources of information to present a fully-formed portrait of Redding’s background, his upbringing, and
his professional career. That said, this biography is not only a book about Redding and his music; it is also a social history of the time and place from which they emerged.
Rejecting the often sentimentalized view of race relations in the music business, Gould never lets us forget that the boundaries between black musicians and white listeners were becoming porous
at precisely the moment when racial tensions were reaching a height throughout the United States. His indelible portrait of Redding and the mass acceptance of soul music in the 1960s is
both a remarkable look at a little-understood artist and a provocative exploration of the tangled history of race and music in America.
-
I’ve Been Out There: On the Road With Legends of Rock ’n’ Roll
$805 -
Beyoncé: Running the World
$980 -
Prince A to Z
$523 -
Emotional Rescue: Essays on Love, Loss, and Life-With a Soundtrack
$698 -
Motown Artist by Artist: A Compilation of the Top 100 Motown Artists
$698 -
I Am Charlie Wilson
$910 -
Shop Around: Growing Up With Motown in a Sinatra Household
$455 -
Terminated for Reasons of Taste: Other Ways to Hear Essential and Inessential Music
$943 -
Zayn: A New Direction
$453 -
In the Midnight Hour: The Life & Soul of Wilson Pickett
$978 -
Every Little Step: My Story
$945 -
Every Little Step: My Story
$595 -
Motown Artist by Artist
$665 -
Gil Scott-Heron: Pieces of a Man
$945 -
Respect Yourself: Stax Records and the Soul Explosion
$1,050 -
Detroit 67: The Year That Changed Soul
$875 -
Soul Serenade: Rhythm, Blues & Coming of Age Through Vinyl
$908 -
I’ll Take You There: Mavis Staples, the Staple Singers, and the March Up Freedom’s Highway
$595 -
98% Funky Stuff: My Life in Music
$560 -
Soul Serenade: Rhythm, Blues & Coming of Age Through Vinyl
$630