Sorry it’s been quiet around here, folks. Non-blogging activities and responsibilities are nearly all-consuming right now.
But, helping me get through all the work…delicious, heaping portions of Soul music.
And so, I thought I’d share the following video treasure of one of my absolute favorites, Mr. Otis Redding, in his landmark performance at the legendary 1967 Monterey International Pop Music Festival, backed by Booker T & The M.G.s.
Of course, calling Otis “Mr.” is bittersweet.
Bitter: He was only 26 years old when he died in a plane crash. Hardly “Mr.” material.
Sweet: And yet, as you can clearly see in the video, this was an old soul in a young man’s body. It’s a rare 26-year old who can sing with such deep, sincere, authentic feeling.
Thanks, Otis, for all of the incredible musical gifts you shared during your all-too-short time with us.
Fish & Bicycles 
Bro, PLEASE TELL ME you saw Pretty in Pink. That scene…where Jon Cryer as Duckie, doing that amazing lip synch over “Try a Little Tenderness”. Epic!!!
That IS epic!
I also LOVE the scene in the movie The Commitments when they do this song. I’m bummed that it doesn’t appear to be available on YouTube. Having been in a band that struggles to get things right, but that has wonderful moments where everything clicks, I know how magical that can be, and that scene, in the context of that movie, captures it so perfectly!
He is great. So sad to lose him so young.
So true.
Oh thank you so much for sharing this.. I grew up on Otis Redding and of course Sitting on the Dock of the Bay is one of my absolute favourites.. I am a Soul Girl 😀
Interestingly, I read yesterday that there was a lot of hesitancy about releasing that song, since it was so very different from the traditional Soul music that Otis and other Stax musicians had done up to that point. But Otis and guitarist Steve Cropper, with whom he wrote the song, felt it was their best composition to date. Also, the whistling was an accident, as the song was originally supposed to end differently, but Otis started to whistle what Cropper was going to play, and the rest is history!
I had heard that the whistling wasn’t planned but I didn’t know about the hesitancy bit.. thanks for sharing..