Steve Cropper Archives - chimesfreedom

In this segment from The Ronnie Wood Show, songwriter Steve Cropper discusses co-writing “(Sittin’ On) The Dock Of the Bay” with Otis Redding. Cropper tells how Redding approached him with the opening, and then Cropper added information from Redding’s own life (“I left my home in Georgia. . .”).

Redding died in an airplane crash on December 10, 1967 before he could see the song become a hit. Cropper also explains how Redding never got to hear the electric guitar part in the song too. Check it out.

Surprisingly, some were concerned that “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay” was too different from Redding’s catalog to be successful. But Redding was happy with the somewhat different sound.

After Redding’s death in December 1967, the song was released on January 8, 1968. It became a number one song in the U.S. and the U.K. And it was the first posthumous single to chart that high in the U.S.

The song’s universal appeal is one of Redding’s final gifts to us. One can understand how an organization like Playing for Change, dedicated to inspiring and connecting the world through music, would make the following video.

The Playing for Change version features people singing the timeless song all over the world. Otis touched a lot of us.

Leave your two cents in the comments.

Otis Redding’s Tragic Plane Crash in Wisconsin

“All You Need Is Love” Worldwide Broadcast

The 1966 Otis Redding TV Special

Otis Redding: Soul Manifesto (Short Review)

Sturgill Simpson: “You Don’t Miss Your Water”

Spotlight On the Four Magnificent Artists Behind “Sweet Soul Music”

(Some related Chimesfreedom posts.)

On December 10, 1967, an airplane crashed into Lake Monona, not far from the Madison, Wisconsin airport. On board the plane were Otis Redding and his backing band for the tour, The Bar-Kays band.

Trumpeter Ben Cauley became the sole survivor of the crash. The twin-engine Beechcraft owned by Redding had taken off in rain and heavy fog, but investigators never determined a cause of the crash. Today, there is a memorial at the crash site.

Otis Redding is one of the few artists where I cannot fathom anyone not loving his music. While I may disagree with some folks on music taste, I can still understand why someone may not like the music of Bob Dylan or Elvis Presley. But I believe everyone should love Redding, as he captures the joy, pain, and soul of life.

If I crank up my iPod through the stereo while guests are visiting and I am not sure of their taste in music, I usually play my Redding albums. There is not much music everyone agrees on nowadays, but Redding is unique.

He belongs in that rare camp of people who are both great singers and great songwriters. Redding showed great promise at a young age as a songwriter, having written or co-written such songs as “Respect” and “I’ve Been Loving You Too Long.”

Otis Redding was only 26-years-old when he died, so we can only imagine what he would have accomplished had he lived to old age. Only four months after his death, the last song he recorded — “(Sittin’ on the) Dock of the Bay” — became his first number one song. The song, written by Redding and Steve Cropper, revealed Redding exploring new musical directions.

Below is a live performance of another favorite of mine, “Try a Little Tenderness.” This video includes part of a 1967 European performance from not long before the plane crash that killed Redding, who was reportedly a good man too. RIP.