Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Series: Otis Redding Quiz

Answer: Little Richard

Little Richard, born Richard Penniman, was the Macon, GA native whose voice stirred the soul of Otis Redding. Otis often cited Little Richard as the biggest influence in the direction of his singing career.
The other three artists were most likely an influence of Otis Redding and any other singer who followed in their footsteps. However, none of these gentlemen were from the Macon, GA area. Sam Cooke was a native of Clarksdale, Mississippi while Smokey Robinson and Jackie Wilson both hailed from Detroit, Michigan.
Otis Redding was born on September 9, 1941 in a small town in Dawson, Georgia. His parents moved him to Macon when he was a child and his vocal talents were realized while singing in the church choir. His early vocal success was evident by his teenage years when he won a local talent contest a whopping 15 weeks in a row.

Answer: Johnny Jenkins

Otis Redding was a member of Johnny Jenkins and the Pinetoppers. When Mr. Jenkins was given the chance to cut some tracks at Stax Records, Otis was allowed some time at the end of the recording session to mess around with one of his original songs titled "These Arms of Mine".

It was the success of this single, and the impression he left on Stax Records management, which led the label to offer him a position as a session artist.

Answer: Respect

Aretha Franklin may have used her powerful voice to bring life to the song "Respect", but it was Otis Redding who wrote the song. Originally the song was written from the perspective of a man, but Aretha's version flipped the roles and demanded respect for all of womankind.

Although Ms. Franklin's version of the song may have been more critically acclaimed, it did win her two Grammy awards, Redding's version wasn't exactly a slouch either. It did peak at number five on the US Billboard Black Singles chart and number 35 on the US Billboard Hot 100. Jerry Wexler, producer at Atlantic Records, was the man who presented the song to Aretha Franklin for her to consider.

The song was recorded by Franklin, along with her two sister on backing vocals, and included on Franklin's debut album.

Answer: (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction

When Mick Jagger and Keith Richards recorded the original version of "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction", they felt the song was missing something. When Otis Redding recorded it, he added a horn section, and that was the element that Keith Richards felt was missing. Based on Otis' version, The Rolling Stones would include a horn section in many of their live versions of the song.

Answer: Carla Thomas

Carla Thomas was the daughter of Rufus Thomas. Her great career, featuring songs such as "Gee Whiz (Look at His Eyes)" and "B-A-B-Y", earned her the moniker "Queen of Memphis Soul".
The song "Tramp" was written by Lowell Fulson and Jimmy McCracklin, and recorded by Fulson a few short months before Redding did in 1967. An interesting version of the song can also be found on the ZZ Top album "Mescalero", released in 2003.
This song would not be the only time Redding and Thomas paired up. The Steve Cropper song "Knock on Wood", originally recorded by Eddie Floyd, would also later feature the duo of Redding and Thomas.

Answer: The song was originally written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, but never recorded due to a contract dispute.

Otis Redding's signature song was co-written by Redding and guitarist Steve Cropper. The song was recorded just a few days before Otis' death in a plane crash on December 10, 1967. The song was an instant success and would have certainly catapulted Redding into another dimension as far as music and his career had he lived to see that success.

Answer: The Black Crowes

The Black Crowes, who also hail from the great state of Georgia (Atlanta), released the song "Hard to Handle" on their debut album "Shake Your Money Maker" (1990). The song was largely responsible for the band breaking out into mainstream success.
Another great jam band, The Grateful Dead, used to perform a version of this song live. In fact, two former members of the band, Phil Lesh and Bob Weir, have often included the song in their solo performances. Gov't Mule, another jam band, has also covered this song, both live and on album.

Answer: The Commitments

"The Commitments" featured the Redding songs "Mr Pitiful", "Try a Little Tenderness", "Hard to Handle" and "I've Got Dreams to Remember". The movie was based on the novel of the same name written by Roddy Doyle. The movie was an interesting study because most of the cast was not recruited for their acting skills, but rather their musical ability.

Many of the actors were either professional musicians already, or would eventually go on to professional careers. The lack of professional actors in the movie gave it a certain raw emotion and edginess that would not be possible with more experienced actors.

Answer: The Jimi Hendrix Experience

In addition to those included as answers to this question, The Monterey Pop Festival featured performances by acts like The Byrds, The Steve Miller Band, The Mamas and the Papas, Jefferson Airplane, Buffalo Springfield and Simon and Garfunkel. Reprise Records released "Historic Performances Recorded at the Monterey International Pop Festival" in 1970. On side one, The Jimi Hendrix Experience was featured, while portions of Redding's set was included on side two.

Interestingly, the song "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay", which many consider to be the ultimate performance from that session, was omitted from the release.

Answer: Cleveland, Ohio

The events causing the plane crash have never fully been cited, even after multiple investigations by multiple agencies. Regardless, that night, Otis Redding, the pilot, Redding's manager and four individuals from The Bar-Kay's were killed when the plane went down in Lake Monona. Surprisingly, there was one survivor of the crash. Ben Cauley was asleep just seconds before the plane crashed.

It's believed that by Cauley unbuckling his seat belt, he was able to be ejected from the wreckage, an event which may have saved his life. Otis Redding was laid to rest at his ranch located in Round Oak, Georgia. Otis left behind a wife and three children.