Written by: Jimmy Campbell, Reg Connelly and Harry M. Woods
Released: 1966
Album: The Otis Redding Dictionary of Soul
When I got hooked: 1990
The thing that got me hooked: The try-try-try part from 2:04 to 2:07 and 2:17 to 2:20
I was ten years old when I watched a documentary celebrating the 20th. anniversary of Rolling Stone Magazine. The movie introduced me to a lot of «new» music, but I don’t think anybody made as big impression on me as Otis Redding did. The video above is from that documentary and it wasn’t just my introduction to Otis, but to soul music itself.
Back in 1990 I just called him the «gack-gack man», cos that’s what I thought he sang (though later as my English improved I realised he sang «try-try-try», not «gack-gack-gack»).
«Try A Little Tenderness» dates back to 1932 and has been performed by heeps of artists, including Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra and Nina Simone.
Otis first did the song in 1966, but I have never been a big fan of the studio version. It belongs on stage with the adrenalin and enthusiasm that flowed through this great singer, who at just 26 years old died in a plane crash in December 1967, about six months after the live performance above.
The video above (and below) features the best backing band Otis ever had: The wonderful and brilliant quartet Booker T. And The MG’s with the horn section called The Mar-Keys. (The other backing band Otis used, The Bar-Keys, did not have the same groove or talent, and that affected Otis’ performances, in my opinion).
Otis Redding was without a doubt one of the greatest singers the world has ever seen and it is very sad that his career lasted for a mere five years.
As a bonus video I’ve included the live performance from Njårdhallen in Oslo, Norway, April 7th. 1967. This recording isn’t merely interesting to me because it was filmed in my current hometown, but because among the audience is a 16 year old boy who 13 years later became my father.
tunesthatchangedmylife.wordpress.com 