Otis Redding: An Unfinished Life

Summary (from the publisher): A definitive biography of Otis Redding, the musical artist who was widely regarded as the quintessential soul singer of the 1960s, timed to coincide with the 50th anniversary of Redding's iconic performance at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival. 

Otis Redding remains a living presence in the canon of American popular music on the strength of such classic hits as "(Sittin' on) The Dock of the Bay", "I've Been Loving You Too Long (To Stop Now)", "Try a Little Tenderness", and "Respect", a song that Redding wrote and recorded before Aretha Franklin made it immortal. As a singer, songwriter, bandleader, and arranger, Redding was the chief architect of the distinctly southern, gospel-inflected style of rhythm and blues associated with Stax Records in Memphis. 

Yet, while Redding's music has long served as the gold standard of 1960s soul, an aura of myth and mystery has always surrounded the story of his life, which was tragically cut short at the height of his career by his death in a plane crash in December 1967. 

Otis Redding is the biography that finally does justice to the unfinished life of the man who was once celebrated as the "King of Soul". Jonathan Gould's book draws on comprehensive research, the cooperation of the Redding family, and previously unavailable sources of information to present a fully-formed portrait of Redding's background, his upbringing, and his professional career. 

That said, this biography is not only a book about Redding and his music; it is also a social history of the time and place from which they emerged. Rejecting the often sentimentalized view of race relations in the music business, Gould never lets us forget that the boundaries between black musicians and white listeners were becoming porous at precisely the moment when racial tensions were reaching a height throughout the United States. His indelible portrait of Redding and the mass acceptance of soul music in the 1960s is both a remarkable look at a little-understood artist and a provocative exploration of the tangled history of race and music in America.

Review: I won an uncorrected proof copy of this book from Goodreads. 

This biography presents a comprehensive overview of Otis Redding's life and the musical and cultural setting in which he grew to fame in the 1960s before his tragic death in 1967. Otis was the fourth of six children born to his parents, who sought a better life by moving their family to Macon, Georgia to a federal housing project. Macon at the time was booming, and as a child Otis was quickly exposed to multiple sources of musical influences from gospel music, local bands, and radio. He dropped out of school at the age of fifteen to begin working but lacked much drive for anything other than music. Otis' girlfriend Zelma got pregnant when Otis was eighteen and he eventually married her and the couple had three children together. 

Otis seemingly pursued every opportunity to launch his musical career, including recording when given the opportunity, performing at local music clubs, and playing gigs for college fraternities. During his lifetime, he enjoyed significant fame and earned "well over $100,000 a year," which was a significant income in the 1960s. Although rarely home with his wife and family, he was able to support them in comfortable style and was loyal to his hometown of Macon until his untimely death at the age of 26 when the plane he had purchased to take on tour crashed into a lake near Madison, Wisconsin. 

This book gave life and meaning to the man behind the famous songs and reinforced the tragedy of his early death. Gould describes Otis as only beginning his musical accomplishments at the time of his death. In fact, he recorded what was to be his biggest hit, (Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay, shortly before his death and therefore was unable to see what an instant hit the song was. Gould asserts that Otis was dismissive of the power of lyrics until shortly before his death; who knows what classic songs we may have had if only he hadn't died in the crash. 

I was disappointed that this is more of an analysis of Redding's music within the context of the music of the time rather than an intimate portrait of Otis himself. Gould spends significant time providing historical context and background on race relations at the time. A considerable portion of the book is also devoted to describing Redding's contemporaries including Little Richard, Sam Cooke, Aretha Franklin, and James Brown. This, combined with the relatively scant amount of personal details of Otis' life, made the biography feel like a history of soul music during the 60s through the lens of Otis Redding, rather than a biography. For example, despite the fact that Gould interviewed Otis' widow, few insight from her personal relationship with the singer are included and little to nothing is included about their children, which seemed like an oversight in a biography. Although I'm sure the author worked with what material was available to him, I had hoped for a more intimate portrait of the man behind the music than was presented. 

Stars: 3