More on (“Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay

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Posted by RareSoul Staff on Dec 7, 2009 in Wax Facts | View Comments

More on (“Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay

Otis Redding

On this day in 1967, Otis Redding entered the recording studio to record tracks, including “Sitting on the Dock of the Bay.”

He was in rare form, because six weeks earlier, Otis had Polyps removed from his throat and hadn’t been able to sing for six weeks.

Otis wrote the song in the Summer of 1967 while staying on a house boat in Sausalito after the Monterey Pop Festival.

“To me, ‘Dock of the Bay,’ when I heard it, was not nearly as strong as ‘I’ve Been Loving You Too Long.’ Of course, it was a different kind of record for Otis. I always saw Otis as ‘Pain in My Heart,’ ‘I’ve Been Loving You Too Long,’ and “Try a Little Tenderness’,” Stax Founder Jim Stewart said.

Otis Redding on his ranch

They had been planning to add some background vocals by The Staple Singers to make it more soulful, but Otis died in December 10th in a plane crash.