On December 10, 1967, soul music legend Otis Redding died in a plane crash near Madison, Wisconsin. He was only 26.
Redding and his backing band, the Bar-Kays, were traveling to perform at the Factory Nightclub in Madison when the plane – flying in heavy rain and fog – crashed into Lake Monona just four miles from their destination.

He had already recorded 10 albums worth of original studio tracks plus a number of dynamic live performances.
In the six months leading up to his death, Redding had gone from one great success to another. In June, Aretha Franklin had taken a cover version of his song Respect all the way to #1 on the pop charts.

Later that same month, the adulation of the young audience of rock fans at the Monterey International Pop Festival had transformed him into an icon of the blossoming counterculture thanks to his blistering, now-legendary live performance there.
One song from that performance is in video form below his photograph at the bottom.

Redding received many posthumous accolades, including two Grammy Awards, the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Today We Remember

Play button is on the left … Volume slider is on the right

Otis Redding Medley

I saved the best for last. His studio recording of Try A Little Tenderness is awesome but to really enjoy it, you need to see his performance at Monterey in June 67, where backed by Booker T & The MGs, he ended his appearance with this mesmerizing version.