OTIS REDDING
Presentation :
Otis Ray Redding was an African-American singer of soul music and R&B. Born on September 9th, 1941 in Dawson, Georgia, he died tragically on December 10th, 1967 in a plane crash in Lake Monona (Wisconsin). Nicknamed the "King of Soul", his style of singing gained inspiration from the gospel music that preceded the genre. Redding's style influenced many other soul artists of the 1960s and after.
The many covers of his titles, before and after his death, attest to his popularity throughout the world. The artists who have taken up his tunes or who pay tribute to him come from all musical backgrounds : The Rolling Stones, Aretha Franklin, Etta James, the Moody Blues, the Golden Gate Quartet, Janis Joplin, Tina Turner, Johnny Hallyday, Michael Bolton, the Black Crowes or Papa Wemba, but also Eddy Floyd (Big Bird), Wilson Pickett (Cole, Cooke & Redding), Arthur Conley(Otis Sleep On), The Doors (Runnin' Blue), Paul Young (Now I Know What Made Otis Blue), Magma (Otis), Jay-Z and Kanye West (Otis).
The singer is buried at his Big O Ranch property in Round Oak, Georgia. He is on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time, and some consider him to be probably the greatest singer in soul music.