GDEcD News
Memorial Reception to Recognize 40th Anniversary of Otis Redding’s Passing
Georgia Music Hall of Fame in Macon to host event
Macon, GA – On Dec. 10, 2007, the Georgia Music Hall of Fame will host a memorial reception in honor of Otis Redding, who died on Dec. 10, 1967. To commemorate Redding’s love of Macon and commitment to his community, the reception will be open free to the public from 7 – 9 p.m. with the exhibit, Otis Redding: I’ve Got Dreams to Remember, on display. A brief program will be held at 7:30 p.m. with a performance by The Crawford Ensemble and remarks from Macon Mayor C. Jack Ellis; Macon Mayor-Elect Robert Reichert; and Bill Thompson, Deputy Commissioner, Film, Video and Music Office, Ga. Department of Economic Development.
The year 1967 had been very successful for Redding, with songs like “Try a Little Tenderness” charting high and Aretha Franklin’s version of his composition, “Respect,” earning a #1 spot. He headlined the Stax-Volt European tour to rave reviews in the spring and stateside in the summer, he emerged as the surprise star of the Monterey Pop Festival. 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 a new album and one of the songs, “(Sittin’ on) The Dock of the Bay,” clearly indicated an unmistakable new direction for his 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” won two Grammy Awards and BMI has named it the sixth most performed song of the 20th century.
Throughout 2007, several commemorative events have honored this soul icon. The Georgia Music of Hall of Fame, in association with the Otis Redding Estate, organized Otis Redding: I’ve Got Dreams to Remember, which is on display through September 10, 2008. Curated by Ellen Fleurov, president of Crossroads Traveling Exhibitions, the exhibit features over 175 artifacts including photographs, hand-written lyrics, posters, letters and other personal memorabilia, as well as multi-media kiosks exploring Redding’s musical evolution as a singer, composer, arranger, producer and performer.
In addition, Dreams To Remember: The Legacy of Otis Redding, a DVD featuring interviews and a wealth of rare performance footage, was released to critical acclaim in September by Reelin’ in the Years Productions and Stax Records. Earlier this year, the Redding family launched the Big “O” Youth Educational Dream Foundation in an effort to continue Otis Redding’s own dream of encouraging and assisting youth with enhancing their lives through education and the arts.
The Georgia Music Hall of Fame is located at 200 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. in downtown Macon and is open Mon. – Sat. 9-5 and Sun. 1-5 p.m. For more information, contact Lisa Love (478-751-3087 / ), Katie Roberts (478-751-3334 / ) or visit www.georgiamusic.org. For more information on the Big “O” Youth Educational Dream Foundation, visit www.otisredding.com.
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