The long-awaited, definitive biography of The King of Soul, timed to
coincide with the 50th anniversary of Redding's iconic performance at
the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival.
Otis Redding remains an
immortal presence in the canon of American music on the strength of such
classic hits as “(Sittin’ on) The Dock of the Bay,” “I’ve Been Loving
You Too Long,” “Try a Little Tenderness,” and “Respect,” a song he wrote
and recorded before Aretha Franklin made it her own. As the architect
of the distinctly southern, gospel-inflected style of rhythm & blues
associated with Stax Records in Memphis, Redding made music that has
long served as the gold standard of 1960s soul. Yet an aura of myth and
mystery has always surrounded his life, which was tragically cut short
at the height of his career by a plane crash in December 1967.
In Otis Redding: An Unfinished Life, Jonathan
Gould finally does justice to Redding’s incomparable musical artistry,
drawing on exhaustive research, the cooperation of the Redding family,
and previously unavailable sources of information to present the first
comprehensive portrait of the singer’s background, his upbringing, and
his professional career.
In chronicling the story of Redding’s
life and music, Gould also presents a social history of the time and
place from which they emerged. His book never lets us forget that the
boundaries between black and white in popular music were becoming porous
during the years 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 revealing look at a
brilliant artist and a provocative exploration of the tangled history of
race and music in America that resonates strongly with the present day.
Otis Redding : An Unfinished Life - Jonathan Gould
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£12.99