Twenty-six is a terribly young age to die. Where an average 26-year-old’s obituary might list some minor accomplishments — perhaps a degree from a prestigious university, a low-level job in corporate America, or a marriage in its infancy — Otis Redding’s obituary could hardly pay homage to the many achievements, titles and superlatives he had earned in his short life. When he died, aged 26, on December 10, 1967, Redding was the undisputed “king of soul” and his music, in all of its raw emotion and power, had and continues to have an invaluable effect on rock and popular music. “Otis! The Otis Redding Story,” by Scott Freeman, besides being the first comprehensive account of Redding’s life, is an intimate and complete look at the social, personal and factual ingredients that transformed him from a small-country boy into a music icon.
Freeman’s style is heavily rooted in time and place. The biography begins in sleepy backwoods Georgia with Redding’s birth on September 9, 1941— a time and place in history when racism was still openly condoned and encouraged and when religion was the overarching force in everyday life. It is here where we learn, through Freeman’s countless, meticulous interviews with several integral people in Redding’s life, about Redding’s childhood and about the fundamental building blocks in his life and career: his almost-inherent and stubborn love of music; his religious father’s open disapproval of his son’s chosen profession; his loyalty toward close friends and his penchant for violence. At a time when a boy of Redding’s status could have hoped to secure a menial occupation as a housepainter or deliveryman, he aspired for much more — he always knew he wanted to be a singer.
Like many children in Macon, Ga., Redding was constantly exposed to the church. It was in the hymns and through participation in the Vineville Baptist Choir that Redding first developed his love for music, but it took the flamboyant, powerful musicianship of Little Richard, also a Macon native, to ignite Redding’s passion for popular music, funk and rock and roll. In fact, he got his professional start in talent shows, where he covered Little Richard staples, such as “Tutti Frutti” and “Long Tall Sally.”
Again rooted in place, Freeman explains Redding’s early success in the context of Macon’s reputation as a hotbed for musical expression. He describes Macon as “the epicenter of influence on modern pop music,” and details the careers of James Brown and Little Richard, parallel to Otis Redding’s, in an effort to illustrate this point. Though at first this may seem like a deviation from the main story, with time it becomes clear that Freeman’s strongest attribute is his ability to recognize overarching themes. In telling Redding’s story, Freeman also tells the story of popular music in the 1960’s: the rivalry between Stax, Redding’s record label, and Motown, the soul’s influence on a variety of rockers, from the Beatles to Jimi Hendrix and back again, and of the racial undertones that characterized the music industry.
Freeman’s attention to detail is another shining aspect of this biography. Not only do we learn that Redding won over white audiences with his incendiary performance at the Monterey Pop Festival, but that Janis Joplin followed him around like a star struck puppy dog for the duration of the festival and that he enjoyed a copious amount of marijuana in the process. We learn that Revered Redding, Otis’s father, condemned his chosen profession until Otis struck it big and purchased his father a brand-new Ford Fairlane, at which point his father announced he would abandon the ministry to become Otis’s business manager. We also learn that when Bob Dylan came backstage after Redding’s April, 1967 performance at the Whisky a Go-Go to congratulate him, Redding had this to say about Dylan’s music: “I like it but it’s got too many f***in’ words. All these pigtails and bobbytails and all that stuff.” The same quality of research and attention to detail that earned Freeman praise for his biography of the Allman Brothers, Midnight Riders: The Story of the Allman Brothers Band, is evident in his newest addition to the music-literature world.
Freeman does the most justice to Redding’s character by providing a complete and non-biased account. Where one may be tempted to glorify such a short, talented life as Redding’s with only positive praise and admiration, Freeman also includes Redding’s not-so-glorious side. As Johnny Jenkins, legendary guitarist and one of Otis’s first accompanists, once said: “People always want me to make him sound like a good guy and, see, I know better … [Redding] was a bully. He was hell to get along with.” Freeman presents the well-known version of Redding-humble, professional, emotional, soulful — but peppers it with accusations and accounts from the other side that include Redding’s quick temper, his power over women and his willingness to step over friends and take credit for songs he never wrote in order to achieve fame. He lays it all out and allows the reader to make the final decision.
Redding’s most successful song, “Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay,” recorded just three days before his tragic death, was released posthumously and met with great acclaim. In the song, we are introduced to a pensive, confused Redding — someone who, at the time of his death, was considering firing his long-time manager and ending his eight year marriage. The song, not unlike Freeman’s biography, offers us tantalizing and teasing insight into one of the most pondered over “what if’s” of the past century. What if Otis Redding was still alive today? If you are the least bit interested in exploring this sadly unanswered question, look no further than Freeman’s thoughtful treatment of Redding’s fairytale success and lasting effects on music.
