150-555: Tower of Power is an American R&B and funk based band and horn section , originating in Oakland, California , that has been performing since 1968. The band has had a number of lead vocalists, the best-known being Lenny Williams , who fronted the band between early 1973 and late 1974, the period of their greatest commercial success. They have had eight songs on the Billboard Hot 100 ; their highest-charting songs include "You're Still
300-455: A Dorian or Mixolydian mode , as opposed to the major or natural minor tonalities of most popular music. Melodic content was derived by mixing these modes with the blues scale . In the 1970s, jazz music drew upon funk to create a new subgenre of jazz-funk , which can be heard in recordings by Miles Davis ( Live-Evil , On the Corner ), and Herbie Hancock ( Head Hunters ). Funk continues
450-433: A " call-and-response , intertwined pocket." If a band only has one guitarist, this effect may be recreated by overdubbing in the studio, or, in a live show, by having a single guitarist play both parts, to the degree that this is possible. In funk bands, guitarists typically play in a percussive style, using a style of picking called the "chank" or "chicken scratch", in which the guitar strings are pressed lightly against
600-532: A "black aesthetic" to perform that made use of "colorful and lively exchange of gestures, facial expressions, body posture, and vocal phrases" to create an engaging performance. The lyrics in funk music addressed issues faced by the African American community in the United States during the 1970s, which arose due to the move away from an industrial, working-class economy to an information economy, which harmed
750-447: A "gooey, slurpy, quacky, and syrupy" sound) and imitate keyboard synthesizer bass tones (e.g., the Mutron envelope filter) and overdriven fuzz bass effects, which are used to create the "classic fuzz tone that sounds like old school Funk records". Other effects that are used include the flanger and bass chorus . Collins also used a Mu-Tron Octave Divider , an octave pedal that, like
900-460: A Black President be considered in the future. The political themes of funk songs and the aiming of the messages to a Black audience echoed the new image of Blacks that was created in Blaxploitation films, which depicted "African-American men and women standing their ground and fighting for what was right". Both funk and Blaxploitation films addressed issues faced by Blacks and told stories from
1050-555: A Black perspective. Another link between 1970s funk and Blaxploitation films is that many of these films used funk soundtracks (e.g., Curtis Mayfield for Superfly ; James Brown and Fred Wesley for Black Caesar and War for Youngblood ). Funk songs included metaphorical language that was understood best by listeners who were "familiar with the black aesthetic and [black] vernacular". For example, funk songs included expressions such as "shake your money maker", "funk yourself right out" and "move your boogie body". Another example
1200-694: A Little Bit of Bitch in Him"); clavinet ("Joyful Process", "Up for the Down Stroke", "Red Hot Mama"); Minimoog synthesizer ("Atmosphere", " Flash Light ", "Aqua Boogie", "Knee Deep", "Let's Take It to the Stage"); and ARP string ensemble synth (" Chocolate City ", " Give Up the Funk (Tear the Roof off the Sucker) ", "Undisco Kidd"). Synthesizers were used in funk both to add to the deep sound of
1350-537: A Little Tenderness ". Redding was born in Dawson, Georgia , the fourth of six children, and the first son of Otis Redding Sr. and Fannie Roseman. Redding Sr. was a sharecropper and then worked at Robins Air Force Base , near Macon , and occasionally preached in local churches. When Redding was three, the family moved to Tindall Heights, a predominantly African-American public housing project in Macon. At an early age, he sang in
1500-694: A Young Man", " So Very Hard to Go ", "What Is Hip?", and "Don't Change Horses (in the Middle of a Stream)". In the summer of 1968, tenor saxophonist/vocalist Emilio Castillo met Stephen "Doc" Kupka, who played baritone sax. Castillo had played in several bands, and hired Kupka after a home audition on the advice of his father. Within months the group, then known as The Motowns , began playing various gigs around Oakland and Berkeley , attracting audiences from minority and counterculture communities. In order to play Bill Graham 's Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco,
1650-622: A baritone sax. Horn sections played "rhythmic and syncopated" parts, often with "offbeat phrases" that emphasize "rhythmic displacement". Funk song introductions are an important place for horn arrangements. Funk horn sections performed in a "rhythmic percussive style" that mimicked the approach used by funk rhythm guitarists. Horn sections would "punctuate" the lyrics by playing in the spaces between vocals, using "short staccato rhythmic blast[s]". Notable funk horn players included Alfred "PeeWee" Ellis , trombonist Fred Wesley , and alto sax player Maceo Parker . Notable funk horn sections including
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#17328633535901800-590: A brawnier delivery" and later suggested he "could testify like a hell-bent preacher , croon like a tender lover or get down and dirty with a bluesy yawp". Redding received advice from Rufus Thomas about his clumsy stage appearance. Jerry Wexler said Redding "didn't know how to move ", and stood still, moving only his upper body, although he acknowledged that Redding was well received by audiences for his strong message. Guralnick described Redding's painful vulnerability in Sweet Soul Music , as an attractive one for
1950-417: A clean sound, and given the importance of a crisp, high sound, Fender Stratocasters and Telecasters were widely used for their cutting treble tone. The mids are often cut by guitarists to help the guitar sound different from the horn section , keyboards and other instruments. Given the focus on providing a rhythmic groove, and the lack of emphasis on instrumental guitar melodies and guitar solos , sustain
2100-411: A complex, driving rhythmic feel. Even though some funk songs are mainly one-chord vamps, the rhythm section musicians may embellish this chord by moving it up or down a semitone or a tone to create chromatic passing chords. For example, the verse section of " Play That Funky Music " (by Wild Cherry ) mainly uses an E ninth chord, but it also uses F#9 and F9. The chords used in funk songs typically imply
2250-592: A constant haze of marijuana smoke", such as Parliament's " Aqua Boogie (A Psychoalphadiscobetabioaquadoloop) ", which includes words such as "bioaquadooloop". The mainstream white listener base was often not able to understand funk's lyrical messages, which contributed to funk's lack of popular music chart success with white audiences during the 1970s. Horn section arrangements with groups of brass instruments are often used in funk songs. Funk horn sections could include saxophone (often tenor sax), trumpet, trombone, and for larger horn sections, such as quintets and sextets,
2400-466: A drum part played by a percussionist , often at slower tempos than other popular music. Funk typically consists of a complex percussive groove with rhythm instruments playing interlocking grooves that create a "hypnotic" and "danceable" feel. It uses the same richly colored extended chords found in bebop jazz, such as minor chords with added sevenths and elevenths, and dominant seventh chords with altered ninths and thirteenths. Funk originated in
2550-554: A gasoline station attendant, and occasionally as a musician. Pianist Gladys Williams, a locally well-known musician in Macon and another who inspired Redding, often performed at the Hillview Springs Social Club, and Redding sometimes played piano with her band there. Williams hosted Sunday talent shows, which Redding attended with two friends, singers Little Willie Jones and Eddie Ross. Redding's breakthrough came in 1958 on disc jockey Hamp Swain 's "The Teenage Party",
2700-418: A half-swung feel), and less use of fills (as they can lessen the groove). Drum fills are "few and economical", to ensure that the drumming stays "in the pocket", with a steady tempo and groove. These playing techniques are supplemented by a set-up for the drum kit that often includes muffled bass drums and toms and tightly tuned snare drums. Double bass drumming sounds are often done by funk drummers with
2850-409: A horn section is not feasible, a keyboardist can play the horn parts on a synthesizer with brass patches; however, choosing an authentic-sounding synthesizer and brass patch is important. In the 2010s, with micro-MIDI synths, it may even have been possible to have another instrumentalist play the keyboard brass parts, thus enabling the keyboardist to continue to comp throughout the song. Funk bands in
3000-399: A hybrid of electronic music and funk; funk metal ; G-funk , a mix of gangsta rap and psychedelic funk ; Timba , a form of funky Cuban dance music; and funk jam. It is also the main influence of Washington go-go , a funk subgenre. Funk samples and breakbeats have been used extensively in hip hop and electronic dance music . The word funk initially referred (and still refers) to
3150-551: A listen. There was something different about [the ballad]. He really poured his soul into it." Stewart signed Redding and released "These Arms of Mine", with "Hey Hey Baby" on the B-side . The single was released by Volt in October 1962 and charted in March the following year. It became one of his most successful songs, selling more than 800,000 copies. "These Arms of Mine" and other songs from
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#17328633535903300-518: A live album for Atlantic Records. Redding and his band were paid $ 400 per week (US$ 3,981 in 2023 dollars) but had to pay $ 450 (US$ 4,478 in 2023 dollars) for sheet music for the house band, led by King Curtis , which left them in financial difficulty. The trio asked Walden for money. Huckaby's description of their circumstances living in the "big old raggedy" Hotel Theresa is quoted by Peter Guralnick in his 1999 book Sweet Soul Music . He noted meeting Muhammad Ali and other celebrities. Ben E. King , who
3450-469: A million dollars in 1967 alone. That year, one columnist said, "he sold more records than Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin combined." After the release of Otis Blue , Redding became a "catalogue" artist, meaning his albums were not immediate blockbusters, but rather sold steadily over time. By 1967, the band was traveling to performances in Redding's Beechcraft H18 airplane. On December 9, they appeared on
3600-501: A mixture of thumb-slapped low notes (also called "thumped") and finger "popped" (or plucked) high notes, allowing the bass to have a drum-like rhythmic role, which became a distinctive element of funk. Notable slap and funky players include Bernard Edwards ( Chic ), Robert "Kool" Bell , Mark Adams ( Slave ), Johnny Flippin ( Fatback ) and Bootsy Collins . While slap and funky is important, some influential bassists who play funk, such as Rocco Prestia (from Tower of Power ), did not use
3750-444: A seminal artist in soul music and rhythm and blues . Nicknamed the " King of Soul ", Redding's style of singing gained inspiration from the gospel music that preceded the genre. His vocal style influenced many other soul artists of the 1960s. Redding was born in Dawson, Georgia , and his family soon moved to Macon . He dropped out of high school at the age of 15 to support his family, working with Little Richard 's backing band,
3900-413: A short duration (nicknamed "stabs") with faster rhythms and riffs. Guitarists playing rhythmic parts often play sixteenth notes, including with percussive ghost notes. Chord extensions are favored, such as ninth chords. Typically, funk uses "two interlocking [electric] guitar parts", with a rhythm guitarist and a "tenor guitarist" who plays single notes. The two guitarists trade off their lines to create
4050-675: A single in 1961, under the title "Shout Bamalama"). A member of Pat T. Cake and the Mighty Panthers, Redding toured the Southern United States on the Chitlin' Circuit , a string of venues that were hospitable to African-American entertainers during the era of racial segregation , which lasted into the early 1960s. Johnny Jenkins left the band to become the featured artist with the Pinetoppers. Around this time, Redding met Phil Walden ,
4200-588: A single pedal, an approach which "accents the second note... [and] deadens the drumhead's resonance", which gives a short, muffled bass drum sound. James Brown used two drummers such as Clyde Stubblefield and John 'Jabo' Starks in recording and soul shows. By using two drummers, the JB band was able to maintain a "solid syncopated" rhythmic sound, which contributed to the band's distinctive "Funky Drummer" rhythm. In Tower of Power drummer David Garibaldi 's playing, there are many ghost notes and rim shots . A key part of
4350-411: A slow tempo. Disc jockey A. C. Moohah Williams accordingly labeled him "Mr. Pitiful", and subsequently, Cropper and Redding wrote the eponymous song . That and top 100 singles " Chained and Bound", "Come to Me" and "That's How Strong My Love Is" were included on Redding's second studio album, The Great Otis Redding Sings Soul Ballads , released in March 1965. Jenkins began working independently from
4500-457: A strong odor. It is originally derived from Latin fumigare (which means "to smoke") via Old French fungiere and, in this sense, it was first documented in English in 1620. In 1784, funky meaning "musty" was first documented, which, in turn, led to a sense of "earthy" that was taken up around 1900 in early jazz slang for something "deeply or strongly felt". Even though in white culture,
4650-513: A suspended fourth (e.g., C7 (#9) sus 4); dominant ninth chords (e.g., F9); and minor sixth chords (e.g., C minor 6). The six-ninth chord is used in funk (e.g., F 6/9); it is a major chord with an added sixth and ninth. In funk, minor seventh chords are more common than minor triads because minor triads were found to be too thin-sounding. Some of the best known and most skillful soloists in funk have jazz backgrounds. Trombonist Fred Wesley and saxophonists Pee Wee Ellis and Maceo Parker are among
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4800-556: A talent contest at the local Roxy and Douglass Theatres . Johnny Jenkins , a locally prominent guitarist, was in the audience and, finding Redding's backing band lacking in musical skills, offered to accompany him. Redding sang Little Richard's "Heebie Jeebies". The combination enabled Redding to win Swain's talent contest for fifteen consecutive weeks; the cash prize was $ 5 (US$ 53 in 2023 dollars). Jenkins later worked as lead guitarist and played with Redding during several later gigs. Redding
4950-1279: A train as they walked across tracks before a performance in Oakland. They both survived the accident. According to their manager, Jeremy Westby, they were both "responsive and being treated at a local hospital". They fully recovered and returned to the active lineup later that year. Tower's horn section appeared on a number of other artists' recordings, including Otis Redding , Aaron Neville , Aerosmith , Bonnie Raitt , David Sanborn , Eric Clapton , Elton John , Labelle , Huey Lewis , Little Feat , Heart , Michelle Shocked , Paula Abdul , Santana and Stevie Nicks . The horn section also recorded with bassist Larry Graham 's Graham Central Station , Grateful Dead , Carlos Santana , Journey , Elkie Brooks , Cat Stevens (on his Foreigner Suite ), Luis Miguel , Linda Lewis , R.A.D. (Rose Ann Dimalanta), Jermaine Jackson , John Lee Hooker , Helen Reddy , Rufus , Rod Stewart , Jefferson Starship , Mickey Hart , Heart , Damn Yankees , Frankie Valli , Spyro Gyra , KMFDM , Lyle Lovett , Poison , Phish (two songs on their album Hoist ), Toto , Pharoahe Monch , Ned Doheny , Brothers Johnson , and Sam The , among many other acts. The song "So Very Hard To Go"
5100-600: A version of the Rolling Stones ' " Satisfaction ". Redding and his backing band (Booker T. & the M.G.'s with the Mar-Keys horn section ) opened with Cooke's " Shake ", after which he delivered an impromptu speech, asking the audience if they were the "love crowd" and looking for a big response . The ballad "I've Been Loving You" followed. The last song was "Try a Little Tenderness", including an additional chorus. "I got to go, y'all, I don't wanna go," said Redding, and left
5250-597: A wider American pop music audience. Along with his group, he first played small shows in the American South. Redding later performed at the popular Los Angeles night club Whisky a Go Go and toured Europe, performing in London , Paris and other major cities. In 1967, he performed at the Monterey Pop Festival . Shortly before his death in a plane crash , Redding wrote and recorded his iconic " (Sittin' On) The Dock of
5400-463: Is a music genre that originated in African-American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic , danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African-Americans in the mid-20th century. It deemphasizes melody and chord progressions and focuses on a strong rhythmic groove of a bassline played by an electric bassist and
5550-420: Is an unrecorded number by Buddy Bolden , remembered as either "Funky Butt" or "Buddy Bolden's Blues", with improvised lyrics that were, according to Donald M. Marquis, either "comical and light" or "crude and downright obscene" but, in one way or another, referring to the sweaty atmosphere at dances where Bolden's band played. As late as the 1950s and early 1960s, when funk and funky were used increasingly in
5700-583: Is more than impassioned speech but less than singing with precise pitch." According to the book, "Redding finds a rough midpoint between impassioned oratory and conventional singing. His delivery overflows with emotion" in his song "I Can't Turn You Loose". Booker T. Jones described Redding's singing as energetic and emotional but said that his vocal range was limited, reaching neither low nor high notes. Peter Buckley, in The Rough Guide to Rock , describes his "gruff voice, which combined Sam Cooke's phrasing with
5850-415: Is not sought out by funk rhythm guitarists. Funk rhythm guitarists use compressor volume-control effects to enhance the sound of muted notes, which boosts the "clucking" sound and adds "percussive excitement to funk rhythms" (an approach used by Nile Rodgers ). Guitarist Eddie Hazel from Funkadelic is notable for his solo improvisation (particularly for the solo on " Maggot Brain ") and guitar riffs,
6000-500: Is the formula that makes "soul music" successful. When any music form becomes cluttered and/or complicated you lose the average listener's ear. There is nothing more beautiful than a simple blues tune. There is beauty in simplicity whether you are talking about architecture, art or music. Redding also authored his (sometimes difficult) recordings' horn arrangements, humming to show the players what he had in mind. The recording of "Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa (Sad Song)" captures his habit of humming with
6150-527: Is the use of "bad" in the song "Super Bad" (1970), which black listeners knew meant "good" or "great". In the 1970s, to get around radio obscenity restrictions, funk artists would use words that sounded like non-allowed words and double entendres to get around these restrictions. For example, The Ohio Players had a song entitled "Fopp" which referred to "Fopp me right, don't you fopp me wrong/We'll be foppin' all night long...". Some funk songs used made-up words which suggested that they were "writing lyrics in
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6300-640: Is used in funk, in songs such as "Cissy Strut" by The Meters and "Love the One You're With" (with Aretha Franklin singing and Billy Preston on keyboards). Bernie Worrell 's range of keyboards from his recordings with Parliament Funkadelic demonstrate the wide range of keyboards used in funk, as they include the Hammond organ ("Funky Woman", "Hit It and Quit It", "Wars of Armageddon"); RMI electric piano ("I Wanna Know If It's Good to You?", " Free Your Mind ", "Loose Booty"); acoustic piano ("Funky Dollar Bill", "Jimmy's Got
6450-524: Is used in funk, including in "September" by Earth Wind & Fire and " Will It Go Round in Circles " by Billy Preston . The electric piano is used on songs such as Herbie Hancock 's "Chameleon" (a Fender Rhodes ) and "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy" by Joe Zawinul (a Wurlitzer ). The clavinet is used for its percussive tone, and it can be heard in songs such as Stevie Wonder 's " Superstition " and " Higher Ground " and Bill Withers' " Use Me ". The Hammond B-3 organ
6600-572: The Los Angeles Times , and he penetrated mainstream popular culture. Bob Dylan attended the performance and offered Redding an altered version of one of his songs, " Just Like a Woman ". In late 1966, Redding returned to the Stax studio and recorded several tracks, including " Try a Little Tenderness ", written by Jimmy Campbell, Reg Connelly and Harry M. Woods in 1932. This song had previously been recorded by Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra , and
6750-621: The Upbeat television show produced in Cleveland . They played three concerts in two nights at a club called Leo's Casino. After a phone call with his wife and children, Redding's next stop was Madison, Wisconsin ; the next day, Sunday, December 10, they were to play at the Factory nightclub, near the University of Wisconsin . Although the weather was poor, with heavy rain and fog, and despite warnings,
6900-644: The Billboard Hot 100 and the first posthumous number-one single in U.S. chart history. It sold approximately four million copies worldwide and received more than eight million airplays. The album The Dock of the Bay was the first posthumous album to reach the top spot on the UK Albums Chart . Shortly after Redding's death, Atlantic Records, distributor of the Stax/Volt releases, was purchased by Warner Bros. Stax
7050-639: The Billboard Hot 100, it was included in the Top 10 in the surveys of many West Coast Top 40 radio stations, placed #1 on several of them. The album also charted two other singles on the Billboard Hot 100, "This Time It's Real" and "What Is Hip?" 1974's Back to Oakland spawned the hit single "Don't Change Horses (in the Middle of a Stream)", which reached #26 on the Billboard Hot 100, and "Time Will Tell", which charted at #69. The funk-jazz instrumental "Squib Cakes" also came from this album. On Urban Renewal (1974),
7200-553: The Civil Rights Movement . Gerhard Kubik notes that with the exception of New Orleans , early blues lacked complex polyrhythms , and there was a "very specific absence of asymmetric time-line patterns ( key patterns ) in virtually all early twentieth century African-American music ... only in some New Orleans genres does a hint of simple time line patterns occasionally appear in the form of transient so-called 'stomp' patterns or stop-time chorus. These do not function in
7350-907: The Otis Blue session. "Respect" and "I've Been Loving You" were later recut in stereo. The album, titled Otis Blue: Otis Redding Sings Soul , was released in September 1965. Otis Blue also includes Redding's much-loved cover of "A Change Is Gonna Come" in 1965. Redding's success allowed him to buy a 300-acre (1.2 km ) ranch in Georgia, which he called the "Big O Ranch". Stax was also doing well. Walden signed more musicians, including Percy Sledge , Johnnie Taylor , Clarence Carter and Eddie Floyd , and together with Redding, they founded two production companies. "Jotis Records" (derived from J oe Galkin and Otis ) released four recordings, two by Arthur Conley and one by Billy Young and Loretta Williams. The other
7500-714: The United States Post Office issued a 29-cent commemorative postage stamp in his honor. Redding was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1994, and in 1999 he received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award . The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame included three Redding recordings, "Shake", "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay", and "Try a Little Tenderness", on its list of "The 500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll". American music magazine Rolling Stone ranked Redding at number 21 on their list of
7650-583: The Vineville Baptist Church choir and learned guitar and piano. From age 10, Redding took drum and singing lessons. At Ballard-Hudson High School , he sang in the school band. Every Sunday he earned $ 6 by performing gospel songs for Macon radio station WIBB , and he won the $ 5 prize in a teen talent show for 15 consecutive weeks. His passion was singing, and he often cited Little Richard and Sam Cooke as influences. Redding said that he "would not be here" without Little Richard and that he "entered
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#17328633535907800-587: The album era , in which the LP would overtake singles in commercial and artistic importance. Along with soul and R&B, Redding's contributions to rock music have been noted by music scholars, particularly the " black rock " performed by his contemporaries Wilson Pickett and Sly and the Family Stone . "His musical palette, a cosmic alloy of gospel and blues, hammered into a gritty but elegant template by both black and white musicians, remodeled soul and rock and anchored
7950-426: The backbeat that typified African-American music. Brown often cued his band with the command "On the one!," changing the percussion emphasis/accent from the one- two -three- four backbeat of traditional soul music to the one -two-three-four downbeat – but with an even-note syncopated guitar rhythm (on quarter notes two and four) featuring a hard-driving, repetitive brassy swing . This one-three beat launched
8100-448: The clave pattern and related two-celled figures in songs such as "Carnival Day" (Bartholomew 1949) and "Mardi Gras In New Orleans" (Longhair 1949). Robert Palmer reports that, in the 1940s, Professor Longhair listened to and played with musicians from the islands and "fell under the spell of Perez Prado 's mambo records." Professor Longhair's particular style was known locally as rumba-boogie . One of Longhair's great contributions
8250-476: The fingerboard and then quickly released just enough to get a muted "scratching" sound that is produced by rapid rhythmic strumming of the opposite hand near the bridge . Earliest examples of that technic used on rhythm and blues is listened on Johnny Otis song " Willie and the Hand Jive " in 1957, with the future James Brown band guitar player Jimmy Nolen . The technique can be broken down into three approaches:
8400-400: The "chika", the "chank" and the "choke". With the "chika" comes a muted sound of strings being hit against the fingerboard; "chank" is a staccato attack done by releasing the chord with the fretting hand after strumming it; and "choking" generally uses all the strings being strummed and heavily muted. The result of these factors was a rhythm guitar sound that seemed to float somewhere between
8550-581: The "mesmerizing" nature of funk. Payne states that funk can be thought of as "rock played in a more syncopated manner", particularly with the bass drum, which plays syncopated eighth-note and sixteenth-note patterns that were innovated by drummer Clive Williams (with Joe Tex ); George Brown (with Kool & the Gang ) and James "Diamond" Williams (with The Ohio Players ). As with rock, the snare provides backbeats in most funk (albeit with additional soft ghost notes). In funk, guitarists often mix playing chords of
8700-439: The "spaces between the notes" as the notes that are played; as such, rests between notes are important. While there are rhythmic similarities between funk and disco , funk has a "central dance beat that's slower, sexier and more syncopated than disco", and funk rhythm section musicians add more "subtextures", complexity and "personality" onto the main beat than a programmed synth-based disco ensemble. Before funk, most pop music
8850-539: The 1962–1963 sessions were included on Redding's debut album, Pain in My Heart . "That's What My Heart Needs" and "Mary's Little Lamb" were recorded in June 1963. The latter is the only Redding track with both background singing and brass. It became his worst-selling single. The title track, recorded in September 1963, sparked copyright issues, as it sounded like Irma Thomas 's "Ruler of My Heart". Despite this, Pain in My Heart
9000-583: The 1970s adopted Afro-American fashion and style, including " Bell-bottom pants , platform shoes, hoop earring[s], Afros [hairstyles], leather vests,... beaded necklaces", dashiki shirts, jumpsuits and boots. In contrast to earlier bands such as The Temptations , which wore "matching suits" and "neat haircuts" to appeal to white mainstream audiences, funk bands adopted an "African spirit" in their outfits and style. George Clinton and Parliament are known for their imaginative costumes and "freedom of dress", which included bedsheets acting as robes and capes. Funk
9150-467: The 1970s to capitalize on the new "social and political opportunities" that had become available in the 1970s. The Isley Brothers song "Fight the Power" (1975) has a political message. Parliament's song "Chocolate City" (1975) metaphorically refers to Washington, D.C., and other US cities that have a mainly Black population, and it draws attention to the potential power that Black voters wield and suggests that
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#17328633535909300-467: The African musical tradition of improvisation , in that in a funk band, the group would typically "feel" when to change, by "jamming" and "grooving", even in the studio recording stage, which might only be based on the skeleton framework for each song. Funk uses "collective improvisation", in which musicians at rehearsals would have what was metaphorically a musical "conversation", an approach which extended to
9450-621: The African oral tradition approach). The call and response in funk can be between the lead singer and the band members who act as backup vocalists . As funk emerged from soul, the vocals in funk share soul's approach; however, funk vocals tend to be "more punctuated, energetic, rhythmically percussive[,] and less embellished" with ornaments, and the vocal lines tend to resemble horn parts and have "pushed" rhythms. Funk bands such as Earth, Wind & Fire have harmony vocal parts. Songs like " Super Bad " by James Brown included "double-voice" along with "yells, shouts and screams". Funk singers used
9600-570: The Afro-Cuban mambo and conga in the late 1940s, and made it its own. New Orleans funk, as it was called, gained international acclaim largely because James Brown's rhythm section used it to great effect. Funk uses the same richly colored extended chords found in bebop jazz, such as minor chords with added sevenths and elevenths, or dominant seventh chords with altered ninths. Some examples of chords used in funk are minor eleventh chords (e.g., F minor 11th); dominant seventh with added sharp ninth and
9750-515: The Bay " with Steve Cropper . The song became the first posthumous number-one record on both the Billboard Hot 100 and R&B charts. The album The Dock of the Bay was the first posthumous album to reach number one on the UK Albums Chart . Redding's premature death devastated Stax. Already on the verge of bankruptcy, the label soon discovered that the Atco division of Atlantic Records owned
9900-518: The Bay" at the 11th Annual Grammy Awards in 1969. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducted Redding in 1989, declaring his name to be "synonymous with the term soul music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm and blues into a form of funky, secular testifying." In 1988, he was inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame . Five years later,
10050-496: The Black working class. Funk songs by The Ohio Players, Earth, Wind & Fire, and James Brown raised issues faced by lower-income Blacks in their song lyrics, such as poor "economic conditions and themes of poor inner-city life in the black communities". The Funkadelic song " One Nation Under A Groove " (1978) is about the challenges that Blacks overcame during the 1960s civil rights movement, and it includes an exhortation for Blacks in
10200-673: The Doors , and virtually every soul and R&B musician from the early years, such as Al Green , Etta James , William Bell, Aretha Franklin , Marvin Gaye and Conley. Janis Joplin was influenced by his singing style, according to Sam Andrew , a guitarist in her band Big Brother and the Holding Company . She stated that she learned "to push a song instead of just sliding over it" after hearing Redding. The Bee Gees ' Barry Gibb and Robin Gibb wrote
10350-484: The Erotic: Transaesthetics and Black Sexual Cultures explores these multiple meanings of funk as a way to theorize sexuality, culture, and western hegemony within the many locations of funk : "street parties, drama/theater, strippers and strip clubs, pornography, and self-published fiction." Like soul, funk is based on dance music , so it has a strong "rhythmic role". The sound of funk is as much based on
10500-416: The M.G.'s , was unproductive and ended early; Redding was allowed to perform two songs. The first was "Hey Hey Baby", which studio chief Jim Stewart thought sounded too much like Little Richard. The second was "These Arms of Mine", featuring Jenkins on guitar and Steve Cropper on piano. Stewart later praised Redding's performance, saying, "Everybody was fixin' to go home, but Joe Galkin insisted we give Otis
10650-455: The M.G.'s, while staff producer Isaac Hayes worked on the arrangement. "Try a Little Tenderness" was included on Redding's next album, Complete & Unbelievable: The Otis Redding Dictionary of Soul . The song and the album were critically and commercially successful—the former peaked at number 25 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and at number 4 on the R&;B chart. The spring of 1966 marked
10800-580: The Monterey International Pop Festival , a Reprise Records release featuring some of the live performances at the festival by the Jimi Hendrix Experience on side one and Redding on side two. Redding had at least two television appearances booked for 1968; one on The Ed Sullivan Show and the other on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour . In September 2007, the first official DVD anthology of Redding's live performances
10950-454: The Octavia pedal popularized by Hendrix , can double a note an octave above and below to create a "futuristic and fat low-end sound". Funk drumming creates a groove by emphasizing the drummer's "feel and emotion", which including "occasional tempo fluctuations", the use of swing feel in some songs (e.g., "Cissy Strut" by The Meters and "I'll Take You There" by The Staple Singers , which have
11100-661: The Phoenix Horns (with Earth, Wind & Fire), the Horny Horns (with Parliament), the Memphis Horns (with Isaac Hayes ), and MFSB (with Curtis Mayfield ). The instruments in funk horn sections varied. If there were two horn players, it could be trumpet and sax, trumpet and trombone, or two saxes. A standard horn trio would consist of trumpet, sax, and trombone, but trios of one trumpet with two saxes, or two trumpets with one sax, were also fairly common. A quartet would be set up
11250-547: The Truth (1970)—all issued on its Atco Records label. A number of successful singles emerged from these LPs, among them " Amen " (1968), " Hard to Handle " (1968), "I've Got Dreams to Remember" (1968), "Love Man" (1969), and "Look at That Girl" (1969). Singles were also lifted from two live Atlantic-issued Redding albums, In Person at the Whisky a Go Go , recorded in 1966 and issued in 1968 on Atco, and Historic Performances Recorded at
11400-609: The Upsetters , and performing in talent shows at Macon's historic Douglass Theatre . In 1958, Redding joined Johnny Jenkins 's band, the Pinetoppers, with whom he toured the Southern states as a singer and driver. An unscheduled appearance on a Stax Records recording session led to a contract and his first hit single, " These Arms of Mine ", in 1962. Stax released Redding's debut album, Pain in My Heart , two years later. Initially popular mainly with African Americans, Redding later reached
11550-485: The addition of more of a "driving feel" than in New Orleans funk, and they used blues scale notes along with the major third above the root. Later funk basslines use sixteenth note syncopation, blues scales, and repetitive patterns, often with leaps of an octave or a larger interval. Funk basslines emphasize repetitive patterns, locked-in grooves, continuous playing, and slap and popping bass. Slapping and popping uses
11700-886: The album: " Tramp " was released in April, followed by " Knock on Wood " and "Lovey Dovey". All three reached at least the top 60 on both the R&B and Pop charts. The album charted at number 5 and 36 on the Billboard Pop and R&B charts, respectively. Redding returned to Europe to perform at the Paris Olympia . The live album Otis Redding: Live in Europe was released three months later, featuring this and other live performances in London and Stockholm , Sweden. His decision to take his protege Conley (whom Redding and Walden had contracted directly to Atco/Atlantic Records rather than to Stax/Volt) on
11850-482: The approach, and instead used a typical fingerstyle method based on James Jamerson 's Motown playing style. Larry Graham from Sly and the Family Stone is an influential bassist. Funk bass has an "earthy, percussive kind of feel", in part due to the use of muted, rhythmic ghost notes (also called "dead notes"). Some funk bass players use electronic effects units to alter the tone of their instrument, such as "envelope filters" (an auto-wah effect that creates
12000-579: The audience, but not for his friends and partners. His early shyness was well known. In his early career, Redding mostly covered songs from popular artists, such as Richard, Cooke and Solomon Burke . Around the mid-1960s, Redding began writing his own songs—always taking along his cheap red acoustic guitar—and sometimes asked for Stax members' opinion of his lyrics. He often worked on lyrics with other musicians, such as Simms, Rodgers, Huckaby, Phil Walden, and Cropper. During his recovery from his throat operation, Redding wrote about 30 songs in two weeks. Redding
12150-636: The award include Aretha Franklin, Ike & Tina Turner , and Curtis Mayfield . In 1968, the National Association of Television and Radio Announcers (NATRA) created the Otis Redding Award in his honor. Readers of the British music newspaper Melody Maker voted Redding the top vocalist of 1967, superseding Elvis Presley , who had topped the list for the prior 10 years. Redding posthumously won two Grammy Awards for "(Sittin' On) The Dock of
12300-441: The band changed its name to Tower of Power, which then stuck. By 1970, the renamed band—now including trumpet /arranger Greg Adams, first trumpet Mic Gillette , first saxophone Skip Mesquite, Francis "Rocco" Prestia on bass, Willie Fulton on guitar, and drummer David Garibaldi —signed a recording contract with Bill Graham's San Francisco Records and released their first album, East Bay Grease . Rufus Miller performed most of
12450-401: The band moved more toward funk than soul; however, they continued recording ballads as well. Williams left the band in late 1974, and was replaced as vocalist by Hubert Tubbs . The band's airplay on chart radio declined. During the late 1970s they briefly tried recording disco-sounding material. On January 12, 2017, long-time drummer David Garibaldi and bassist Marc Van Wageningen were hit by
12600-426: The band their first national exposure. This album included the hit single "You're Still a Young Man", which peaked at #29 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was Stevens' pinnacle vocal performance before leaving the band. Emilio Castillo, who co-wrote the tune with Stephen Kupka, told Songfacts that the song was based on a true story about him and a former girlfriend who was six years his senior. Tower of Power , released in
12750-439: The context of jazz music , the terms still were considered indelicate and inappropriate for use in polite company. According to one source, New Orleans -born drummer Earl Palmer "was the first to use the word 'funky' to explain to other musicians that their music should be made more syncopated and danceable." The style later evolved into a rather hard-driving, insistent rhythm, implying a more carnal quality . This early form of
12900-435: The drummers and arrangers he employed. Brown's early repertoire had used mostly shuffle rhythms, and some of his most successful songs were 12/8 ballads (e.g. "Please, Please, Please" (1956), "Bewildered" (1961), "I Don't Mind" (1961)). Brown's change to a funkier brand of soul required 4/4 metre and a different style of drumming." Stewart makes the point: "The singular style of rhythm & blues that emerged from New Orleans in
13050-675: The electric bass, or even to replace the electric bass altogether in some songs. Funk synthesizer bass, most often a Minimoog , was used because it could create layered sounds and new electronic tones that were not feasible on electric bass. In the 1970s, funk used many of the same vocal styles that were used in African-American music in the 1960s, including singing influences from blues, gospel, jazz and doo-wop. Like these other African-American styles, funk used "[y]ells, shouts, hollers, moans, humming, and melodic riffs", along with styles such as call and response and narration of stories (like
13200-526: The eulogy. Redding died just three days after re-recording "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay", and was survived by Zelma and four children, Otis III, Dexter, Demetria, and Karla. In August 1997, a memorial plaque was placed on the lakeside deck of the Madison convention center, Monona Terrace . " (Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay " was released in January 1968. It became Redding's only single to reach number one on
13350-513: The first time that Stax booked concerts for its artists. The majority of the group arrived in London on March 13, but Redding had flown in days earlier for interviews, such as at The Eamonn Andrews Show . When the crew arrived in London, the Beatles sent a limousine to pick them up. Booking agent Bill Graham proposed that Redding play at the Fillmore Auditorium in late 1966. The gig
13500-480: The funk drumming style is using the hi-hat, with opening and closing the hi-hats during playing (to create "splash" accent effects) being an important approach. Two-handed sixteenth notes on the hi-hats, sometimes with a degree of swing feel, is used in funk. Jim Payne states that funk drumming uses a "wide-open" approach to improvisation around rhythmic ideas from Latin music, ostinatos , that are repeated "with only slight variations", an approach which he says causes
13650-505: The funk into the rhythm" of rock and roll . Following his temporary exit from secular music to become an evangelist in 1957, some of Little Richard's band members joined Brown and the Famous Flames , beginning a long string of hits for them in 1958. By the mid-1960s, James Brown had developed his signature groove that emphasized the downbeat —with heavy emphasis on the first beat of every measure to etch his distinctive sound, rather than
13800-568: The future founder of the recording company Phil Walden and Associates, and later Bobby Smith, who ran the small label Confederate Records. He signed with Confederate and recorded a single, "Shout Bamalama" (a rewrite of "Gamma Lamma") and "Fat Girl", together with his band Otis and the Shooters. Around this time he and the Pinetoppers attended a "Battle of the Bands" show in Lakeside Park. Wayne Cochran ,
13950-496: The genre beginning in the late 1960s. Other musical groups developed Brown's innovations during the 1970s and the 1980s, including Kool and the Gang , Ohio Players , Fatback Band , Jimmy Castor Bunch, Earth, Wind & Fire , B.T. Express , Shalamar , One Way, Lakeside , Dazz Band , The Gap Band , Slave , Aurra , Roger Troutman & Zapp , Con Funk Shun , Cameo , Bar-Kays and Chic . Funk derivatives include avant-funk , an avant-garde strain of funk; boogie ,
14100-621: The group out of fear Galkin, Walden and Cropper would plagiarize his playing style, and so Cropper became Redding's leading guitarist. Around 1965, Redding co-wrote " I've Been Loving You Too Long " with Jerry Butler , formerly the lead singer of the Impressions . That summer, Redding and the studio crew arranged new songs for his next album. Ten of the eleven songs were recorded in a 24-hour period on July 9 and 10 in Memphis. Two songs, " Ole Man Trouble " and " Respect ", had been finished earlier, during
14250-401: The heavens." Before Monterey, Redding wanted to record with Conley, but Stax was against the idea. The two moved from Memphis to Macon to continue writing. The result was " Sweet Soul Music " (based on Cooke's "Yeah Man"), which peaked at number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. By that time, Redding had developed polyps on his larynx , which he tried to treat with tea and lemon or honey. He
14400-415: The horn section. Redding has been called the "King of Soul", an honorific also given to Brown and Cooke. He remains one of the genre's most recognized artists. His lean and powerful style exemplified the Stax sound; he was said to be "the heart and soul of Stax", while artists such as Al Jackson , Dunn and Cropper helped to expand its structure. His open-throated singing, the tremolo / vibrato ,
14550-449: The janitorial service Maids Over Macon, several nightclubs, and booking agencies. Redding's music made him wealthy. According to several advertisements, he had around 200 suits and 400 pairs of shoes, and he earned about $ 35,000 per week for his concerts. He spent about $ 125,000 in the "Big O Ranch". As the owner of Otis Redding Enterprises, his performances, music publishing ventures and royalties from record sales earned him more than
14700-554: The last thing he remembered before the crash was unbuckling his seat belt. He then found himself in frigid water, grasping a seat cushion to keep afloat. As a non-swimmer, he was unable to rescue the others. The cause of the crash was never determined. Besides Redding, the other victims of the crash were four members of the Bar-Kays—guitarist Jimmy King, tenor saxophonist Phalon Jones, organist Ronnie Caldwell , and drummer Carl Cunningham; their valet, Matthew Kelly; and
14850-525: The lead vocals on this debut album. The group was first introduced to the San Francisco Bay area by radio station KSAN , which played a variety of artists such as Cold Blood , Eric Mercury , and Marvin Gaye . Augmented by percussionist/conga/bongo player Brent Byars, Tower of Power was released from their San Francisco label contract and moved to Warner Bros. Records . Rick Stevens replaced Rufus Miller as lead singer on 1972's Bump City , which gave
15000-412: The low-end thump of the electric bass and the cutting tone of the snare and hi-hats , with a rhythmically melodic feel that fell deep in the pocket. Guitarist Jimmy Nolen , longtime guitarist for James Brown, developed this technique. On Brown's " Give It Up or Turnit a Loose " (1969), however, Jimmy Nolen's guitar part has a bare bones tonal structure. The pattern of attack-points is the emphasis, not
15150-531: The manic, electrifying stage performances and perceived honesty were particular hallmarks , along with the use of interjections (such as "gotta, gotta, gotta"), some of which came from Cooke. Producer Stewart thought the "begging singing" was stress-induced and enhanced by Redding's shyness. His LP releases earned him recognition from music critic Robert Christgau as "one of soul's few reliable long-form artists"; Christgau deems Otis Blue his "first great album", and Mat Snow regards it as an early indication of
15300-420: The mid-1960s, with James Brown 's development of a signature groove that emphasized the downbeat —with a heavy emphasis on the first beat of every measure ("The One"), and the application of swung 16th notes and syncopation on all basslines, drum patterns, and guitar riffs. Rock- and psychedelia -influenced musicians Sly and the Family Stone and Parliament-Funkadelic fostered more eclectic examples of
15450-471: The most infectious native music America had heard since the big bands ", wrote biographer Mark Ribowsky. Artists from many genres have named Redding as a musical influence. George Harrison called "Respect" an inspiration for " Drive My Car ". The Rolling Stones also mentioned Redding as a major influence. Other artists influenced by Redding include Led Zeppelin , the Grateful Dead , Lynyrd Skynyrd ,
15600-407: The most notable musicians in the funk music genre, having worked with James Brown , George Clinton and Prince . Unlike bebop jazz, with its complex, rapid-fire chord changes, funk often uses a static single-chord or two-chord vamp (often alternating a minor seventh chord and a related dominant seventh chord, such as A minor to D7) during all or part of a song, with melodo-harmonic movement and
15750-401: The music business because of Richard – he is my inspiration. I used to sing like Little Richard, his rock 'n' roll stuff ... My present music has a lot of him in it." At age 15, Redding left school to help financially support his family; his father had contracted tuberculosis and was often hospitalized, leaving his mother as the family's primary income earner. He worked as a well digger, as
15900-399: The music set the pattern for later musicians. The music was identified as slow, sexy, loose, riff -oriented and danceable. The meaning of funk continues to captivate the genre of black music, feeling, and knowledge. Recent scholarship in black studies has taken the term funk in its many iterations to consider the range of black movement and culture. In particular, L.H. Stallings's Funk
16050-465: The new sound; Stewart thought that it was not R&B, while bassist Donald "Duck" Dunn feared it would damage Stax's reputation. However, Redding wanted to expand his musical style and thought it was his best song, correctly believing it would top the charts. He whistled at the end, either forgetting Cropper's "fadeout rap" or paraphrasing it intentionally. Redding, who was 6 feet 1 inch (1.85 m) tall and weighed 220 pounds (100 kg),
16200-542: The notes to create a percussive sound for their guitar riffs. The phaser effect is often used in funk and R&B guitar playing for its filter sweeping sound effect, an example being the Isley Brothers ' song " Who's That Lady ". Michael Hampton , another P-Funk guitarist, was able to play Hazel's virtuosic solo on "Maggot Brain", using a solo approach that added in string bends and Hendrix-style feedback . A range of keyboard instruments are used in funk. Acoustic piano
16350-496: The only solo artist signed to Confederate, became the Pinetoppers' bassist. When Walden started to look for a record label for Jenkins, Atlantic Records representative Joe Galkin showed interest and around 1962 sent him to the Stax studio in Memphis . Redding drove Jenkins to the session, as the latter did not have a driver's license. The session with Jenkins, backed by Booker T. &
16500-438: The onstage performances. Funk creates an intense groove by using strong guitar riffs and basslines played on electric bass . Like Motown recordings, funk songs use basslines as the centerpiece of songs. Indeed, funk has been called the style in which the bassline is most prominent in the songs, with the bass playing the "hook" of the song. Early funk basslines used syncopation (typically syncopated eighth notes), but with
16650-426: The opportunity for the other instruments to play "more syncopated, broken-up style", which facilitated a move to more "liberated" basslines. Together, these "interlocking parts" created a "hypnotic" and "danceable feel". A great deal of funk is rhythmically based on a two- celled onbeat/offbeat structure, which originated in sub-Saharan African music traditions . New Orleans appropriated the bifurcated structure from
16800-456: The pattern of pitches. The guitar is used the way that an African drum, or idiophone would be used. Nolen created a "clean, trebly tone" by using "hollow-body jazz guitars with single-coil P-90 pickups" plugged into a Fender Twin Reverb amp with the mid turned down low and the treble turned up high. Funk guitarists playing rhythm guitar generally avoid distortion effects and amp overdrive to get
16950-546: The pianist employs the 2-3 clave onbeat/offbeat motif in a rumba-boogie " guajeo ". The syncopated, but straight subdivision feel of Cuban music (as opposed to swung subdivisions) took root in New Orleans R&;B during this time. Alexander Stewart states: "Eventually, musicians from outside of New Orleans began to learn some of the rhythmic practices [of the Crescent City]. Most important of these were James Brown and
17100-558: The pilot Fraser. Redding's body was recovered the next day when the lake was searched. The family postponed the funeral from December 15, to December 18, so that more could attend, and the service took place at the City Auditorium in Macon . More than 4,500 people came to the funeral, overflowing the 3,000-seat hall. Redding was entombed at his ranch in Round Oak , about twenty miles (30 km) north of Macon. Jerry Wexler delivered
17250-425: The plane took off. Four miles (6.5 km) from their destination at Truax Field in Madison, pilot Richard Fraser radioed for permission to land. Shortly thereafter, the plane crashed into Lake Monona . Bar-Kays member Ben Cauley , the accident's only survivor, was sleeping shortly before the accident. He woke just before impact to see bandmate Phalon Jones look out a window and exclaim, "Oh, no!" Cauley said
17400-428: The publishers unsuccessfully tried to stop Redding from recording the song from a "negro perspective". Today often considered his signature song , Jim Stewart reckoned: "If there's one song, one performance that really sort of sums up Otis and what he's about, it's 'Try a Little Tenderness'. That one performance is so special and so unique that it expresses who he is." On this version Redding was backed by Booker T. &
17550-614: The rights to his entire song catalog. Redding received many posthumous accolades, including two Grammy Awards , the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame , the Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame , and the Songwriters Hall of Fame . In addition to "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay", some of his best-known songs include his self-penned " Respect ", which later became more widely associated with Aretha Franklin 's cover, and his rendition of " Try
17700-471: The same as a standard horn trio, but with an extra trumpet, sax, or (less frequently) trombone player. Quintets would either be a trio of saxes (typically alto/tenor/baritone, or tenor/tenor/baritone) with a trumpet and a trombone, or a pair each of trumpets and saxes with one trombone. With six instruments, the horn section would usually be two trumpets, three saxes, and a trombone. Notable songs with funk horn sections include: In bands or shows where hiring
17850-400: The same way as African time lines." In the late 1940s this changed somewhat when the two-celled time line structure was brought into New Orleans blues . New Orleans musicians were especially receptive to Afro-Cuban influences precisely at the time when R&B was first forming. Dave Bartholomew and Professor Longhair (Henry Roeland Byrd) incorporated Afro-Cuban instruments, as well as
18000-456: The shift in Brown's signature music style, starting with his 1964 hit single, " Out of Sight " and his 1965 hits, " Papa's Got a Brand New Bag " and " I Got You (I Feel Good) ". Otis Redding Otis Ray Redding Jr. (September 9, 1941 – December 10, 1967) was an American singer and songwriter. He is regarded as one of the greatest singer-songwriters in the history of American popular music and
18150-561: The song " To Love Somebody " for Redding to record. He loved it, and he was going to "cut it", as Barry put it, on his return from his final concert. They dedicated the song to his memory. After Redding's death, the Académie du Jazz in France named an award after him. The Prix Otis Redding is given to the best record release in the field of R&B. Redding was the first recipient of the award for The Otis Redding Story on Stax; following winners of
18300-400: The spring of 1973, was the third album for the band. It featured soul singer Lenny Williams on lead vocals and Lenny Pickett on lead tenor saxophone. Bruce Conte replaced guitarist Willie Fulton and keyboardist Chester D.Thompson also joined the band during the recording of the album. The album spawned their most-successful single " So Very Hard to Go ". Although the single peaked at #17 on
18450-721: The stage of his last major concert. According to Booker T. Jones , "I think we did one of our best shows, Otis and the MG's. That we were included in that was also something of a phenomenon. ... They were accepting us and that was one of the things that really moved Otis. He was happy to be included and it brought him a new audience. It was greatly expanded in Monterey." According to Sweet Soul Music , musicians such as Brian Jones and Jimi Hendrix were captivated by his performance; Robert Christgau wrote in Esquire , "The Love Crowd screamed one's mind to
18600-578: The summer of 1960 and married Redding in August 1961. In mid-1960, Otis moved to Los Angeles with his sister, Deborah, while Zelma and the children stayed in Macon, Georgia. Redding and his wife had four children: Dexter, Demetria, Karla, and Otis III (December 17, 1964 – April 18, 2023). Otis, Dexter, and cousin Mark Lockett later founded the Reddings , a band managed by Zelma. She also maintained or worked at
18750-562: The term funk can have negative connotations of odor or being in a bad mood ( in a funk ), in African communities, the term funk , while still linked to body odor, had the positive sense that a musician's hard-working, honest effort led to sweat, and from their "physical exertion" came an "exquisite" and "superlative" performance. In early jam sessions , musicians would encourage one another to " get down " by telling one another, "Now, put some stank on it!" At least as early as 1907, jazz songs carried titles such as Funky . The first example
18900-493: The time, he "had not been considered a commercially viable player in the mainstream white American market." But after delivering one of the most electric performances of the night, and having been the act to most involve the audience, "his performance at Monterey Pop was therefore a natural progression from local to national acclaim,...the decisive turning-point in Otis Redding's career." His act included his own song "Respect" and
19050-533: The tone of which was shaped by a Maestro FZ-1 Fuzz-Tone pedal. Hazel, along with guitarist Ernie Isley of the Isley Brothers , was influenced by Jimi Hendrix 's improvised, wah-wah infused solos. Ernie Isley was tutored at an early age by Hendrix, when Hendrix was a part of the Isley Brothers backing band and temporarily lived in the Isleys' household. Funk guitarists use the wah-wah sound effect along with muting
19200-413: The tour, instead of more established Stax/Volt artists such as Rufus Thomas and William Bell , produced negative reactions. In 1967, Redding performed at the influential Monterey Pop Festival as the closing act on Saturday night, the second day of the festival. He was invited through the efforts of promoter Jerry Wexler . Until that point, Redding was still performing mainly for black audiences. At
19350-511: The venue were released as Live at the Whisky a Go Go: The Complete Recordings in 2016, a 6-CD box set that won a Grammy Award for Best Album Notes . Carla Thomas claimed that the pair had planned to record another duet album in December the same year, but Phil Walden denied this. Redding had proposed to record an album featuring cut and rearranged songs in different tempos; for example, ballads would be uptempo and vice versa. Another suggestion
19500-404: The years after World War II played an important role in the development of funk. In a related development, the underlying rhythms of American popular music underwent a basic, yet generally unacknowledged transition from triplet or shuffle feel to even or straight eighth notes." James Brown credited Little Richard 's 1950s R&B road band, The Upsetters from New Orleans, as "the first to put
19650-425: Was Jim Stewart's idea to produce a duet album, as he expected that "[Redding's] rawness and [Thomas's] sophistication would work". The album was recorded in January 1967, while Thomas was earning her M.A. in English at Howard University . Six out of ten songs were cut during their joint session; the rest were overdubbed by Redding in the days following, because of his concert obligations. Three singles were lifted from
19800-519: Was also influenced by soul musicians such as Sam Cooke , in particular, the live album Sam Cooke at the Copa , later exploring other popular genres. He studied the recordings of the Beatles and Bob Dylan . His song " Hard to Handle " has elements of rock and roll and influences of Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix . Most of Redding's songs were categorized as Southern soul and Memphis soul . His hallmark
19950-524: Was an apt description of Otis Redding's songwriting and singing style." Booker T. Jones compared Redding with Leonard Bernstein , stating: "He was the same type person. He was a leader. He'd just lead with his arms and his body and his fingers." Redding favored short and simple lyrics; when asked whether he intended to cover Dylan's "Just Like a Woman", he responded that the lyrics contained "too much text". Furthermore, he stated in an interview: Basically, I like any music that remains simple and I feel this
20100-400: Was an athletic family man who loved American football and hunting. He was active in philanthropic projects. He had a keen interest in supporting Black youth and, at the time of his death, had plans to construct a summer camp for disadvantaged children. At age 18, Redding met 17-year-old Zelma Atwood at "The Teenage Party". Approximately one year later, she gave birth to their son Dexter in
20250-452: Was based on sequences of eighth notes, because the fast tempos made further subdivisions of the beat infeasible. The innovation of funk was that by using slower tempos (surely influenced by the revival of blues at early 60s), funk "created space for further rhythmic subdivision, so a bar of 4/4 could now accommodate possible 16 note placements." Specifically, by having the guitar and drums play in "motoring" sixteenth-note rhythms, it created
20400-413: Was commercially and critically successful, paying Redding around $ 800 to $ 1000 (US$ 9,391 in 2023 dollars) a night. It prompted Graham to remark afterwards: "That was the best gig I ever put on in my entire life." Redding began touring Europe six months later. In March 1967, Stax released King & Queen , an album of duets between Redding and Carla Thomas , which became a certified gold record. It
20550-488: Was exultant and joyful." According to journalist Ruth Robinson, author of the liner notes for the 1993 box set, "It is currently a revisionist theory to equate soul with the darker side of man's musical expression, blues. That fanner of the flame of 'Trouble's got a hold on me' music, might well be the father of the form if it is, the glorified exaltation found in church on any Sunday morning is its mother." The Songwriters Hall of Fame website adds that "glorified exaltation indeed
20700-525: Was featured on the soundtracks of the 2002 film City of God , and Will Ferrell's 2008 film Semi-Pro . Current members Note: Over the decades, there have been many televised performances of Tower of Power, several of which can be found on YouTube . In 2011, Time Life released TOP's November 10, 1973 Soul Train performance of "What is Hip?" on the CD The Best of Soul Train Live . Funk Funk
20850-847: Was formed through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the mid-20th century. Musicologist Anne Danielsen wrote that funk might be placed in the lineage of rhythm and blues, jazz, and soul. Sociologist Darby E. Southgate wrote that funk is "an amalgam of gospel, soul, jazz fusion, rhythm and blues, and black rock." The distinctive characteristics of African-American musical expression are rooted in sub-Saharan African music traditions , and find their earliest expression in spirituals, work chants/songs, praise shouts, gospel, blues, and "body rhythms" ( hambone , patting juba , and ring shout clapping and stomping patterns). Like other styles of African-American musical expression including jazz, soul music and R&B, funk music accompanied many protest movements during and after
21000-487: Was his particular approach of adopting two-celled, clave-based patterns into New Orleans rhythm and blues (R&B). Longhair's rhythmic approach became a basic template of funk. According to Dr. John (Malcolm John "Mac" Rebennack Jr.), the Professor "put funk into music ... Longhair's thing had a direct bearing I'd say on a large portion of the funk music that evolved in New Orleans." In his "Mardi Gras in New Orleans",
21150-413: Was his raw voice and ability to convey strong emotion. Richie Unterberger of AllMusic noted his "hoarse, gritty vocals, brassy arrangements, an emotional way with both party tunes and aching ballads." In the book Rock and Roll: An Introduction , authors Michael Campbell and James Brody suggested that "Redding's singing calls to mind a fervent black preacher. Especially in up-tempo numbers, his singing
21300-526: Was hospitalized in September 1967 at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York to undergo surgery. In early December 1967, Redding again recorded at Stax. One new song was " (Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay ", which was written with Cropper. Redding was inspired by the Beatles album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and tried to create a similar sound, against the label's wishes. His wife Zelma disliked its atypical melody. The Stax crew were also dissatisfied with
21450-528: Was named Redwal Music (derived from Red ding and Wal den), which was shut down shortly after its creation. Since Afro-Americans still formed the majority of fans, Redding chose to perform at Whisky a Go Go on the Sunset Strip in Los Angeles. Redding was one of the first soul artists to perform for rock audiences in the western United States. His performance received critical acclaim, including positive press in
21600-400: Was released by Concord Music Group , then owners of the Stax catalog. Dreams to Remember: The Legacy of Otis Redding featured 16 full-length performances and 40 minutes of new interviews documenting his life and career. On May 18, 2010, Stax Records released a two-disc recording of three complete sets from his Whisky a Go Go date in April 1966. All seven sets from his three-day residency at
21750-512: Was released in March 1964, with the single peaking at number 11 on the R&B chart, number 61 on the Billboard Hot 100, and the album at number 103 on the Billboard 200. In November 1963, Redding, accompanied by his brother Rodgers and an associate, former boxer Sylvester Huckaby (a childhood friend of Redding's), traveled to New York to perform at the Apollo Theater for the recording of
21900-412: Was required to renegotiate its distribution deal and was surprised to learn that Atlantic actually owned the entire Stax/Volt catalog. Stax was unable to regain the rights to its recordings and severed its Atlantic relationship. Atlantic also held the rights to all unreleased Otis Redding masters. It had enough material for three studio albums— The Immortal Otis Redding (1968), Love Man (1969), and Tell
22050-708: Was soon invited to replace Willie Jones as frontman of Pat T. Cake and the Mighty Panthers, featuring Johnny Jenkins. Redding was then hired by the Upsetters when Little Richard abandoned rock and roll in favor of gospel music . Redding was well paid, making about $ 25 per gig (US$ 264 in 2023 dollars), but did not stay long. In mid-1960, Otis moved to Los Angeles with his sister, Deborah, while his wife, Zelma, and their children stayed in Macon, Georgia. In Los Angeles, Redding recorded his first songs, including "Tuff Enuff" written by James McEachin, "She's All Right", written with McEachin, and two Redding wrote alone, called "I'm Gettin' Hip" and "Gamma Lamma" (which he recorded as
22200-670: Was the headliner at the Apollo when Redding performed there, gave him $ 100 (US$ 995 in 2023 dollars) when he learned about Redding's financial situation. The resulting album featured King, the Coasters , Doris Troy , Rufus Thomas , the Falcons and Redding. Around this time Walden and Rodgers were drafted by the army; Walden's younger brother Alan joined Redding on tour, while Earl "Speedo" Simms replaced Rodgers as Redding's road manager. Most of Redding's songs after "Security", from his first album, had
22350-505: Was the sole copyright holder on all of his songs. In "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" he abandoned familiar romantic themes for "sad, wistful introspections, amplified by unforgettable descending guitar riffs by Cropper". The website of the Songwriters Hall of Fame noted that the song "was a kind of brooding, dark voicing of despair, ('I've got nothin' to live for/Look like nothin's gonna come my way')" although "his music, in general,
22500-493: Was to record an album entirely consisting of country standards. In 2011, Kanye West and Jay-Z released " Otis " as a single off of their collaborative album, Watch the Throne . Redding was credited as a feature on the song. The song was produced by West who built it off of a sample of Redding's version of " Try a Little Tenderness ". Early on, Redding copied the rock and soul style of his role model Little Richard . Redding
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