Otis Redding

“The beloved ’60s soul titan . . . comes alive in [Jonathan] Gould’s insightful, well-researched biography.”—People

“Magisterial . . . With meticulous scholarship [and] lively prose . . . Gould has created a vital book that helps contextualize one of the most important figures in pop music.”—Boston Globe

AN NPR AND ROLLING STONE BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR

Otis Redding remains an immortal presence in the canon of American music on the strength of such classic hits as “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay,” Try a Little Tenderness,” and “Respect,”—songs that have long served as the gold standard of 1960s soul. Yet an aura of mystery has always surrounded his life, which was tragically cut short at the height of his career by a plane crash in 1967.

In Otis Redding: An Unfinished Life, Jonathan Gould finally does justice to Redding’s incomparable musical artistry, presenting the first comprehensive account of the singer’s background and professional career, drawing on exhaustive research, the cooperation of the Redding family, and previously unavailable sources. Gould’s indelible portrait of Redding and the mass acceptance of soul music in the 1960s, at a time when racial tensions were reaching a height throughout the United States, is both a revealing look at a brilliant artist and a provocative exploration of the tangled history of race and music in America that resonates strongly with the present day.