(Roughly) Daily

As we get back in touch with the pagan roots of seasonal sacred celebrations, we might take a memorial moment to dangle our pinkies from the pier, in memory of the great Otis Redding; he died in a plane crash near Madison, Wisconsin on this date in 1967, at the age of 26.  Redding had left the studios of Stax/Volt Records in Memphis, planning to return to finish the song he’d been recording– he needed to replace the whistling track he’d used as a placeholder for lyrics he still needed to write.  But first he had to appear on a TV show in Cleveland, and perform a concert in Madison…  “(Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay” was released in its “unfinished” form several weeks later. It became the first posthumous #1 hit and the biggest pop hit of Redding’s career.

Special Holiday Bonus: From the extraordinary Stax/Volt Review, Live in Europe:  “Try a Little Tenderness“