The King Of Soul!
Dubbed the King Of Soul (a nickname he
shares with another legend, Sam Cooke), Otis Redding was an American singer-songwriter who wrote some of the most famous songs of all time.
His career was tragically cut short only five years after his first studio album was released as Otis Redding tragically in 1967 died in a plane crash.
His first significant release was These Arms Of Mine in 1962 on Stax Record label, developed with record label house band Booker T. and The M.G.’s.
Otis would form a strong bond with the band and continue to work and write with the members until his death.
Even though Otis is most known for songs he wrote himself, one of his biggest hits was a cover, Try A Little Tenderness, written in 1932 and recorded by many singers before Otis, including Frank Sinatra.
Otis wasn’t afraid to record other people’s tunes, Wonderful World being another classic he immortalized. He also sang Knock On Wood.
His two most famous songs, Respect would become better known once Aretha Franklin recorded it, and (Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay wasn’t released until after his death.
Another great tune that was released posthumously and has become a standard for cover bands the world over by Otis is Hard To Handle.
It did well at the time and then had a resurrection when The Black Crowes released their version in 1990 and had their biggest hit with this Otis Redding classic.
Otis Redding Tunes | Related Pages
(Sittin’ On) the Dock of the Bay
Learn how to play (Sittin’ On) the Dock of the Bay by Otis Redding (and Steve Cropper) using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, and the original recording.
| G | B7 | C | A |
Sittin’ in the mornin’ sun, I’ll be sittin’ when the evenin’ comes…
Hard To Handle
Learn how to play Hard To Handle by Otis Redding and the cover version by The Black Crowes using chords, lyrics, and the original recordings.
| Bb7 | Bb7 (A7 Bb7 Eb6) | Bb7 | Bb7 (A7 Bb7 Eb6) |
Baby, here I am, I’m a man on the scene…
Knock On Wood
You can learn how to play Knock On Wood by Eddie Floyd using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, TAB, the original recording, and cover versions.
| A6 | A6 | A6 | A6 |
I don’t want to lose, this good thing, that I got…
Respect
You can learn how to play Respect by Aretha Franklin using chords, lyrics, TAB, backing track, and Spytunes video guitar lessons.
| G7 | F7 |
(Oh) What you want, (Oh) Baby, I got it…
Stand By Me
You can learn how to play Stand By Me by Ben E. King using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, TAB, and the original recording.
| A | A | F#m | F#m |
When the night has come, and the land is dark…
Wonderful World
You can learn how to play Wonderful World by Sam Cooke using chords, lyrics, and the original recording.
| B | G#m |
Don’t know much about history…
Otis Redding on the web
Artists & Bands
Behind every single tune you learn, there’s an artist or band with an entire catalogue of music, waiting to be discovered.
Find out more about these great Artists & Bands, and let their tunes guide you to success.
About me | Dan Lundholm
This was an article about Otis Redding tunes, by Dan Lundholm. Discover more about him and learn guitar with Spytunes.
Most importantly, find out why you should learn guitar through playing tunes, not practising scales, and studying theory in isolation.