Happy Birthday Otis Redding: Performing Live Spotify Playlist

Otis Redding marked his 26th birthday 50 years ago today. Sadly, it was the last the beloved soul singer would celebrate as months later he died in a plane crash near Madison, Wisconsin in December 1967.

Redding made his debut in 1964 with the release of his album Pain In My Heart. It included the Allen Toussaint-penned title track as well as Redding’s now classic composition “These Arms Of Mine.” Otis was also the author or co-author of later hits he recorded including “Respect,” “I’ve Been Loving You Too Long,” “Hard To Handle” and “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay.” Redding’s collaborative record with Carla Thomas, 1967’s King & Queen, was the last issued while he was still alive. Several posthumously released albums followed beginning with 1968’s The Dock Of The Bay and The Immortal Otis Redding.

The songs Otis sang, whether written himself or covering someone else, truly came to life when the talented showman was onstage performing live. Many of his performances are now considered legendary, like his early-1966 run at the Whisky A Go Go in Los Angeles and concert at the Fillmore in San Francisco, his tours of Europe later that year and in 1967 and his breakout appearance at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival in California.

This soulful edition of Saturday Stream presents a Spotify Playlist made up of 25 live tracks recorded at the Whisky and in Europe during Redding’s abbreviated career. The above mentioned hits are included alongside favorites such as “I Can’t Turn You Loose,” “Try A Little Tenderness,” The Beatles’ “Day Tripper” and “A Hard Day’s Night,” The Rolling Stones’ “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” and more. Listen here: