Otis Redding remembered in new Grammy Museum exhibit
An exhibit that opened Friday in Los Angeles celebrates the life and legacy of Otis Redding, the King of Soul.
Titled "Respect!: Otis Redding and the Revolution of Soul," the exhibit's opening at The Grammy Museum marks nearly 48 years since Redding won two Grammys in 1968 for his hit "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay."
One of the golden gramophones, on loan from his family, is featured among other Redding artifacts.
"Here we are going into the 58th Grammys and my dad received his Grammy (more than) 40 years ago," said Karla Redding-Andrews, Redding's daughter and executive director of the Otis Redding Foundation. "We're lucky to be able to unveil the exhibit a couple of weeks before Grammy Week, where all of the musical celebrity artists come through the Grammy Museum to see what's going on."
The foundation tries to bring a different perspective of her father to each exhibit it's involved with, Redding-Andrews, 53, said by phone on Friday. The latest exhibit is a retrospective view of who Redding was, who he is now and how his legacy continues, she said.
"It's an amazing exhibit with even artifacts of clothing, which my mother has graciously put on loan, which have never been unveiled before," Redding-Andrews said. "No one ever knew that she continued to hold onto those" items.
The blue overalls that Redding wore for the 1967 music video "Tramp," as well as the red silk suit he donned for the "Live in Europe" album cover are among rare photographs, performance footage, personal notes and more on display.
Redding-Andrews flew out to Los Angeles with her brothers, Otis Redding III and Dexter Redding, and their mother, Zelma Redding, for the opening of the exhibit. The family, accompanied by friends who flew in from Georgia, were among more than 300 people who attended a VIP event Thursday night.
"We've been taken to dinner at a number of great places and as we walk around the city, we've been all over the local news," Redding-Andrews said. "To be able to unveil (Redding's) craft and his legacy and his talent to the younger artists who continually come through the Grammy Museum, it's really exciting for us."
Though the family planned to return to Middle Georgia on Saturday, the exhibit will remain on display through September.
Bob Santelli, executive director of the museum, called Redding one of America's greatest soul singers.
"Otis Redding helped bridge the gap between rock and soul music in the mid-'60s," Santelli said in a statement. "His fans spanned both black and white listeners, and he believed that music was the universal language that could tie us all together. ... We are honored to share the impact of his career with this new exhibit."
When the exhibit is taken down, the foundation will continue to celebrate in Macon with the weekend-long event "Celebrating 75 Years of Otis Redding" beginning Sept. 9. The main event will be "An Evening of Respect," a tribute concert featuring celebrity guests.
Redding died at age 26 on Dec. 10, 1967, when his private plane plunged into the icy waters of Wisconsin's Lake Monona while on the way to a performance in Madison. Just days before the crash, Redding had recorded "Dock of the Bay," which quickly soared to No. 1 on the charts.
Reminders of Redding's legacy are all across Middle Georgia, including Macon's Otis Redding Memorial Bridge, the Otis Redding statue in Macon's Gateway Park and the interactive memorial marker in Gray.
To contact writer Laura Corley, call 744-4334 or follow her on Twitter @Lauraecor.
This story was originally published January 22, 2016 at 6:09 PM with the headline "Otis Redding remembered in new Grammy Museum exhibit ."