CoronaVinyl Day 375 (R): History of Otis Redding by Otis Redding

For an explanation of CoronaVinyl, click here.

Today's CoronaVinyl category is "R," and while I've featured a combined Otis Redding and Jimi Hendrix Experience live album from the Monterey Pop Festival during CoronaVinyl, I came to the blinding realization today that I hadn't done a solo Otis Redding album.  With that, I went with his 1967 compilation album History of Otis Redding, which was released a month before his tragic death and was the only compilation album released in his lifetime.

Redding is my favorite soul singer.  Recording for Stax Records in Memphis, he was backed by the likes Booker T. & The MGs, The Mar-Keys, The Memphis Horns, and Isaac Hayes, complementing Redding's wonderful voice and great songwriting.  History of Otis Redding features some of his biggest hits from 1962 to 1967, though not his biggest hit, "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay," which was released posthumously in 1968 and went to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

The album went to #9 on the Billboard album chart and #1 on the Billboard R&B album chart.  Note that the order of songs on the album is different than what is shown on the album cover.  The album itself isn't on Spotify, but someone put together a playlist with the songs on the album, so that's what's embedded below.

Favorite Song on Side 1:  "These Arms of Mine"
Redding's first song released as a Stax artist and first charting song on the Billboard Hot 100 (#85) and the Billboard R&B singles chart (#20) was "These Arms of Mine," released in 1962.  It's a soulful ballad that showcases Redding's voice, backed by Steve Croppers doo-wop-esque pianos (and other MGs as well, of course).  Also, it's featured in the sex scene in Road House, so that's the icing on the cake.

Favorite Song on Side 2:  "I Can't Turn You Loose"
It was a tough call between "I Can't Turn You Loose" and Redding's cover of Sam Cooke's "Shake," but I went with the former.  Released as a single, it's an uptempo soul song with rat-a-tat drumming by Al Jackson and that signature guitar riff from Cropper and horn riff that, when sped up, served as the intro music for The Blues Brothers.