American singer and composer Otis Ray Redding Jr. was born on September 9, 1941, and passed away on December 10, 1967.

He is a brilliant vocalist in the annals of American popular music and a pioneer of rhythm and blues and soul. The gospel music that came before the genre served as Redding’s musical inspiration, earning him the moniker “King of Soul.” Many other 1960s soul performers were impacted by his singing style.

The fourth of six children and the eldest son of Otis Redding Sr. and Fannie Roseman, Redding was born in Dawson, Georgia. After working as a sharecropper and then at the nearby Robins Air Force Base, Redding Sr. occasionally delivered sermons in community churches. The family relocated to Tindall Heights, a primarily African-American public housing development in Macon, when Redding was three years old. He began playing the piano and guitar at a young age, and participated in the choir at Vineville Baptist Church. Redding began learning the drums and singing at the age of 10. He performed in the school band at Ballard-Hudson High School.

Who are Otis Redding’s children?

Otis Redding III, Dexter Redding, Demetria Redding, and Karla Redding were the four kids Redding and his wife, Zelma Atwood had.