September 9th will mark the 81st birthday of the King of Soul, Otis Redding. In recognition of the occasion, the Otis Redding Foundation will host a weekend of activities to celebrate one of Macon’s favorite sons. The events on September 9-10 will bring world-renowned artists to the City’s stages and support the Otis Redding Foundation’s mission to empower, enrich, and motivate all young people through programs involving music, writing and instrumentation.
On the 9th at 7pm, “An Evening of Respect” will feature Grammy award-winning, jazz-influenced pianist Robert Glasper and Grammy-nominated singer Mickey Guyton. Both artists’ music blends gospel, jazz, and country into a soulful, Southern sound. The Otis Redding Foundation’s Musical Director, Zach Wilson, will open the show at the Grand Opera House.
Special recognition will also be given to Derrick “D-Nice” Jones, Chuck and Rose Lane Leavell, Dr. C. David Keith and Dr. Vickie Perdue-Scott for their deep commitment to the importance of music and the arts.
Saturday the 10th at 7pm, the show moves to the Capitol Theater for the Big “O” Homecoming Show, starring The War and Treaty, with performances by Monophonics, Kendra Morris, DKOMX, Aläz and Reese Soul. The show is a call back to Otis Redding’s own Homecoming shows held at the Macon City Auditorium throughout the 60s, where the singer brought his contemporaries and musical peers to Macon. The Otis Redding Foundation is updating the concept by bringing the best in Soul for a special performance.
Since its inception, the Otis Redding Foundation has supported thousands of students in pursuit of their goals in music and the arts. Programs include the annual Otis Music Camp for ages 12-18, Camp DREAM for ages 5-11, music education workshops, private and group lessons, and opportunities to perform on iconic stages, such as the Ryman Theater in Nashville, Tennessee.
Please consider supporting an amazing event that will support an incredible cause. Your donation directly impacts programming that the Foundation offers and allows us to reach more students in the Middle Georgia community and beyond. The Otis Redding Foundation is a Public 501(c)(3) organization, and your support is tax deductible to the extent allowable bv law.
Contact Karla Redding-Andrews at the Otis Redding Foundation with questions, by email at foundation@otisreddingfoundation.org, or phone at (478) 742-5737.
Hotel Forty Five, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel, sits at the corner of Cherry
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THE MAN
Born in Dawson, Ga., Otis Redding, Jr. and his family moved to Macon when he was two years old. At an early age, he began his career as a singer and musician in the choir of the Vineville Baptist Church. He attended Ballard Hudson High School and participated in the school band. As a teenager, he began to compete in the Douglass Theatre talent shows for the five-dollar prize. After winning 15 times straight, Otis was no longer allowed to compete.
THE MUSIC
THE SONG
It was unlike anything Redding had ever written, influenced by his admiration for the Beatles’ classic “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” album. Otis played The Beatles’ album constantly during a week he had spent on a houseboat in Sausalito when performing at San Francisco’s Basin Street West in August 1967. Just sitting’ on the dock, looking out at the bay, it’s easy to see where Otis got the inspiration for the song, “(Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay”.
