Redding was born in Dawson, Georgia, and at the age of 2, moved to Macon, Georgia. Redding quit school at age 15 to support his family, working with Little Richard's backing band, the Upsetters, and by performing in talent shows at the historic Douglass Theatre in Macon. In 1958, he 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 recording session led to a contract and his first 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 a wider American pop music audience. Along with his group, he first played small gigs in the American South. He later performed at the popular Los Angeles night club Whisky a Go Go and toured Europe, performing in London, Paris and other major cities. He also performed at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967.
Shortly before his death in a plane crash, Redding wrote and recorded his iconic "(Sittin' On) The Dock of 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 the rights to his entire song catalog.
Redding received many posthumous accolades, including the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame. In addition to "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay," "Respect" and "Try a Little Tenderness" are among his best-known songs.
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, 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.
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, Grateful Dead, Lynyrd Skynyrd, 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 the song "To Love Somebody" for him 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.
Ole Man Trouble
Otis Redding Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Go find you someone else to pick on
I live my live and now you see now
Ole man trouble
Please stay away from me, oh now
Ooo oh yeah,
Yeah
Oh I look like I'm down in my luck
Please send faith to just help pick me up
I've lived this way for so many years, ah ah
Ole man trouble
Please wash away all my fears, oh now
God almighty, help me
Sometimes
Sometime I get I get a little worried
Ole man trouble
Please
Please
Stay away from me
Ole man trouble, ole man trouble, oh na, oh na na na
Stay away, stay away
You cause nothing but trouble
Just stay away, stay away
Just stay away, nothin' nothin' nothin' but trouble
Please, old man trouble, leave me alone
In Otis Redding’s song “Ole Man Trouble,” the artist addresses his struggles, particularly with an unnamed force that he labels “Ole Man Trouble.” In the opening lines, Otis pleads with the trouble-causing entity to leave him alone, suggesting that he should go find someone else to burden. Otis asserts that he is living his life, prompt Ole Man Trouble, in the chorus, to stay away from him. However, Otis believes that he looks like he is down on his luck, and thus he begs for faith to pick him up. Otis has lived with the trouble “for so many years,” and he appears anxious for it to go away. Thus, he pleads with God Almighty to help him overcome his struggles.
In the second verse, Otis specifically addresses Ole Man Trouble, telling it to stay away from him. His worry is clear in his voice, and he begs several times for the force to leave him alone. In the repeated chorus, Otis continues his plea for the entity to stay away, emphasizing that it causes him nothing but trouble. The powerful, soulful voice of Otis reflects the depth of his struggle, which he vaguely defines as being caused by Ole Man Trouble. It is open-ended so listeners can relate to their own conflicts and struggles which are personified as an entity in the song.
Line by Line Meaning
Ole man trouble leave me alone
Please, old man trouble, stay away from me
Go find you someone else to pick on
Don't bother me, go bother someone else
I live my live and now you see now
I've been through enough, leave me alone
Ole man trouble Please stay away from me, oh now
I'm tired of your problems, stay away from me
Oh I look like I'm down in my luck
I may look like I'm struggling, but I'm doing my best
Please send faith to just help pick me up
I need some hope to keep me going
I've lived this way for so many years, ah ah Ole man trouble Please wash away all my fears, oh now
I've been dealing with your troubles for too long, please give me some peace
God almighty, help me
I need divine intervention to get me through this
Sometimes Sometime I get I get a little worried Ole man trouble Please Please
I get anxious about your problems, so please leave me alone
Stay away from me Ole man trouble, ole man trouble, oh na, oh na na na
I don't want your problems, I need you to stay away from me
Stay away, stay away You cause nothing but trouble
You bring nothing but problems, so stay away from me
Just stay away, stay away Just stay away, nothin' nothin' nothin' but trouble Please, old man trouble, leave me alone
I'm done with your problems, please leave me alone
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: OTIS REDDING
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@SimBryant
I was never the same after hearing this song.
@pleintijp72
I heard this Song today and he catch me
@iolanthela
Amazing sidemen: Steve Cropper on guitar; Donald Dunn on bass; Isaac Hayes on keys, Al Jackson Jr. on the drums, Wayne Jackson & Gene Miller on trumpets, Andrew Love on tenor sax, Fred Newman on baritone sax.
@freshboynuk6524
So so saddd
@heidi22209
Rad af
@JBS5022
Best Soul singer ever, I do not think James Brown, Wilson Pickett, or any of the Mo-Town people could touch this man's heart felt desire to sing the way he does. And the lyric's of his songs were deeply concentrated and embedded in his soul. I own dozens of his songs and I sing them karaoke as well. In 1965 Otis Redding was truly " Mr. Pitiful, and Try a Little Tenderness, Just One More Day, My Lover's Prayer...etc.
@keithmolineaux6787
Big O is still the undisputedly Hardee's baddes ass kickinges cooldes smoodes nice's best Blueses Blues man of All All time's for all time 🔊🎼💓🛐 Keitho
@carloscerdan2782
Al green the best
@kennethmoore5833
This is pure soul man, how can you not love this song.
@devinwilliams6030
That's What I'm saying