Marker to honor Otis Redding unveiled soon in Gray

The town of Gray will soon unveil a historical marker to honor soul icon Otis Redding.

The marker will sit at the corner of Madison and Dolly streets, according to the Otis Redding Foundation. It measures 7 feet by 7 feet and will be unveiled at 7 p.m. Sept. 18.

“It looks exactly like an album cover, ... with an album coming out of it with Otis Redding’s face on the album,” said Leila Regan-Porter, a spokeswoman for the foundation.

Redding built a home for his family, the Big O Ranch, in the Jones County community of Round Oak.

His daughter, Karla Redding-Andrews, said the marker’s design, complete with photos of the singer at his home, would allow visitors to see a different side of her father. She said it was important for people to remember him not just as a celebrity, but as a member of the community.

“It means the world to us that Jones County and Gray, Georgia, the citizens there, ... would set up this honor of my dad,” she said.

Plans for a Redding museum in Gray have been discussed within the last year, but Regan-Porter said they have been slowed of late by construction progress at a potential site. She said the interactive marker, which will include an audio player for Redding’s music, would appropriately recognize one of Middle Georgia’s most famous sons on its own.

“It’s a pretty amazing piece,” she said.

Redding-Andrews wasn’t ready to close the door on the idea of a museum in Gray, either. While nothing has been arranged at this time, she said the family hoped there could be an exhibit near the marker.

“If we are allowed to, we would love to be able to put some artifacts in the building there,” she said.

Redding was born in Dawson, in southwest Georgia, on Sept. 9, 1941, and moved to Macon with his family when he was 5. His early music influences included Sam Cooke and Little Richard, and he was a member of Little Richard’s backing band early in his career. In the late 1950s, he met guitarist Johnny Jenkins, who invited Redding to join his group, the Pinetoppers.

Among Redding’s biggest hits were “Mr. Pitiful,” Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa (Sad Song),” “I’ve Been Loving You Too Long,” “Respect,” and “I Can’t Turn You Loose.”

He recorded his greatest hit, (“Sittin’ on) The Dock of the Bay,” on Dec. 6, 1967, just four days before his chartered plane crashed into a Wisconsin lake, killing Redding and four members of his backup band.

To contact writer Jeremy Timmerman, call 744-4331 or find him on Twitter@MTJTimm.

This story was originally published September 2, 2015 at 5:47 PM with the headline "Marker to honor Otis Redding unveiled soon in Gray ."