Try a Little Tenderness

It’s the birthday of soul singer and songwriter Otis Redding, born in Dawson, Georgia (1941), who dropped out of high school to play in Little Richard’s band. His biggest hit, in 1967, was “Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay,” which was released after his death in an airplane crash. “Sittin’ in the morning sun, I’ll be sitting when the evening come, Watching the ships roll in, And I’ll watch ’em roll away again.”

The Writer’s Almanac

Redding’s entry at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.