GDEcD News

Music Hall of Fame to Commemorate Macon's Otis Redding
Exhibition and Musical Tribute to Celebrate 40th Anniversary of Singer's Passing

(Macon, GA) – On Sept. 14, 2007, the Georgia Music Hall of Fame in Macon unveils "Otis Redding: I’ve Got Dreams to Remember," the first major exhibition to celebrate the life and artistry of one of the greatest popular singers and performers of the 20th century. Also on Sept. 14, a musical tribute concert, “An Evening of Respect...The Legacy Continues,” will feature Dexter and Otis Redding III, the Macon Symphony Orchestra, The Bar-Kays, Taj Mahal, Gregg Allman, Diana DeGarmo and other special guests performing Redding’s songs at the stately Grand Opera House in downtown Macon.

On display through Sept. 10, 2008, I’ve Got Dreams to Remember, named after one of Redding’s most poignant and frequently covered songs, presents over 175 artifacts including photographs, hand-written lyrics, posters, letters and other rare memorabilia that vividly tell the story of Redding’s rise to international stardom. Multi-media kiosks enable visitors to experience his musical evolution as a singer, composer, arranger, producer and performer.

Organized by the Georgia Music of Hall of Fame, in association with the Otis Redding Family and Estate, I’ve Got Dreams to Remember is curated by Ellen Fleurov, president of Crossroads Traveling Exhibitions and a nationally recognized independent scholar, writer, and curator. Fleurov says, “Born in Dawson, raised in and then ultimately buried close to Macon, Redding derived his strength, sustenance and mighty inspiration from this red-clay soil of Georgia. I can think of no more fitting tribute than this exhibition taking place in the town he so loved and at a museum located around the corner from the Douglass Theatre, the former Redwal office building, and so many of the clubs and joints where soul music first exploded on the scene.”

All seats for the musical tribute, “An Evening of Respect,” are $100 each and are available through the Macon Symphony Orchestra Box Office at (478) 310-5300. Proceeds from the concert benefit The Big “O” Educational Dream Foundation, which was established by Redding’s widow, Zelma Redding, to empower youth to remain confident, motivated and interested in education through music and arts programs. It was always a personal mission of Redding’s to encourage young people to stay in school. Before his passing, he had developed programs to be held at his ranch where he invited people from all areas of the music industry to lecture to children on the importance of education and learning. Of her husband’s efforts, Zelma Redding says, “Otis would tell me, ‘If it takes music to get the attention of these young people, then let’s educate them through music.’”

The exhibition and concert mark the 40th anniversary of a year of enormous success, restless creativity and ultimate tragedy for the 26-year-old Redding. In January 1967, his ballad, “Try a Little Tenderness,” made the top 25 of Billboard’s Hot 100 chart. In March, he gave electrifying performances as the headliner of the Stax-Volt European tour and earned rave reviews across the continent. Stateside in May, Aretha Franklin took her version of Redding’s song, “Respect,” to the #1 spot on the pop chart.

As the surprise star of the Monterey Pop Festival in June 1967, Redding won the adulation of the predominantly white audience and accolades from mainstream and music press. Poised on the verge of even greater international stardom and pop crossover success, Redding was named the top male vocalist in the world in November in the UK’s Melody Maker magazine poll, a distinction awarded to Elvis Presley for ten years previously.

A month later, Redding was at Stax Studios in Memphis laying down tracks for an album envisioned as soul music’s answer to The Beatles' Sergeant Pepper’s. “(Sittin’ on) The Dock of the Bay,” co-written with Steve Cropper, clearly indicated an unmistakable new direction for Redding’s art. However, on Dec. 10, 1967, Redding’s own twin engine Beechcraft came down in the icy waters of Lake Monona, four miles from the Madison, Wisconsin Municipal Airport, killing the singer, his pilot, an assistant and four members of his touring band, The Bar-Kays.

Released just six weeks after Redding’s passing, “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay” went on to win two Grammy Awards and was named the sixth most performed song of the 20th century. The only number-one hit single of Redding’s career, it stands as both a final triumph and an enduring classic that suggests the musical greatness that was yet to come.

Four decades after his tragic death, Redding’s music continues to enthrall fans worldwide and to influence notable artists in every genre of music--from country, jazz, soul and R &B to hip-hop, blues, rock, reggae, alternative and world music. The Rolling Stones, The Grateful Dead, Willie Nelson, Aretha Franklin, Al Green, The Black Crowes, Pearl Jam, John Mayer, Christine Aguilera, Etta James, Rod Stewart, Michael Bolton, Kanye West, Kelly Clarkson and Toots Maytal are just a few of the musicians who have covered or sampled Otis Redding’s original songs.

Among the highlights of I’ve Got Dreams to Remember, drawn from the Georgia Music Hall of Fame’s permanent collection and the archives of the Redding family, as well as friends and colleagues, are:

• Obscure, pre-Stax recordings released in 1960 and 1961 on the Transworld, Finer Arts, Alshire, Confederate and Gerald labels;

• A family scrapbook with candid images of Redding on stage at the Apollo in Harlem and The Royal Peacock in Atlanta, Georgia, ca. 1962-65;

• A press release from Walden & Associates that describes “One of the biggest mistakes of Otis’ career”— not recording Dylan’s Just Like A Woman, which he had written with Redding in mind after seeing him perform at the Whiskey-A-Go-Go in West Hollywood in April 1966;

• Hand-written lyrics for Don’t Let Me Waste My Time, a never-recorded song;

• Remarkable concert and behind-the-scenes images from the 1966 and 1967 performances at the Olympia Theater in Paris by noted European music photographer, Jean-Pierre Leloir;

• Memorabilia, photographs, and notable recordings from Jotis, Redding’s own label, by protégés such as Billy Young and Arthur Conley;

• An ultra-rare poster advertising the Dec.10th, 1967, Otis Redding concert at the Factory in Madison, Wisconsin, the concert he was en route to when his plane crashed;

• Western Union telegrams to Redding’s family from James Brown, Stevie Wonder, Elvis Presley and other musical luminaries expressing their heartfelt sorrow over Redding’s death.

Multi-media stations feature rare concert performance footage and outtakes from Redding’s appearances on local and syndicated teen music programs. Also highlighted are tracks from the singer’s seminal studio and live recordings, plus early, lesser-known singles, outtakes, variant recordings, original compositions performed and covered by other musicians and his own cover versions of music by Sam Cooke, The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, among others. Excerpts of interviews with Redding himself and individuals and artists such as Zelma Redding, Rodgers Redding, Steve Cropper, Jerry Butler and others contribute personal stories and insights to the experience.

The Georgia Music Hall of Fame is located at 200 Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd., in the heart of downtown Macon. Hours are Mon. – Sat., 9 – 5 p.m., and 1 – 5 p.m. on Sundays. Admission prices are $8 for adults, $6 for seniors, military and college students with ID, and $3.50 for ages 4 – 16. Visit www.georgiamusic.org for more on the Hall of Fame, www.otisredding.com to learn about The Big “O” Youth Educational Dream Foundation, or www.maconga.org to plan a trip to Macon.

# # #