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.
shout
Otis Redding Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He's down in Alabama
Shoutin' bamalama
Way down in Louisiana
Well, well, well
Nobody's gonna set him down
How many chickens have I stole
One last night and the night before
I'm going back and tryin' to get ten, eleven more
Startin' to get 'em and I
I love a chicken, baby
Shoutin' bamalama
Well, well, well
Nobody's gonna set him down
Nine feet, ten feet we're goin' for the build
Nine feet left on a ten feet of hill
Ten feet turn around a nine feet fence
His teeth fell out, but his tongue stayed in
It's gettin' said so
He got the chicken, baby
Shoutin' bamalama
Well, well, well
Nobody's gonna set him down
Leo demarket rode a line one day
Bad little fella comin' down the way
We were talkin' 'bout the family, its a cryin' shame
He tell ya, mother is workin' on the chain gang
She busts his britches now
She's good at workin' hard
Shoutin' bamalama
Well, well, well
Nobody's gonna set him down
The preacher and the deacon were prayin' one day
Along come a bear comin' down that way
The preacher told the deacon to say a prayer
He said, Lord, a prayer won't kill this bear
I gotta make it, baby
Shout bamalama
I gotta run for it
Well, well, well
Nobody's gonna set him down
Otis Redding's "Shout Bamalama" is a song that starts off with the artist telling us that there is a man down in Alabama shouting bamalama. The song then takes on an amusing and nonsensical tone as the lyrics describe the antics of the man and his love for chickens. He has already stolen some chickens, and he is planning to steal more. He is so enamored with chickens that he shouts "I love a chicken baby", and this is the refrain that keeps repeating throughout the song.
The lyrics then go on to describe a man named Leo Demarket, who is "bad" and comes "down the way". Otis Redding sings about how Leo talks about his family and how his mother is "workin' on the chain gang". The song takes an unexpected turn as it describes the preacher and the deacon praying when they come upon a bear, and the deacon is asked to say a prayer. However, the preacher is not impressed with the deacon's prayer, and he decides to run away from the bear. The song ends with the chorus repeating.
Overall, the lyrics are fun and lighthearted, showcasing the individualistic spirit of the South. It captures the humor and joy of the people living in these areas.
Line by Line Meaning
Shout bamalama
He's shouting a nonsense phrase.
He's down in Alabama
He's currently located in the state of Alabama.
Way down in Louisiana
He's also been to Louisiana, which is farther south than Alabama.
Nobody's gonna set him down
No one will be able to make him stop doing what he's doing.
Lord have mercy on my soul
He's asking for divine mercy for his soul.
How many chickens have I stole
He's reflecting on how many chickens he's stolen.
One last night and the night before
He's stolen at least one chicken in the past two nights.
I'm going back and tryin' to get ten, eleven more
He plans to steal several more chickens.
Startin' to get 'em and I
He's currently in the process of stealing chickens.
I love a chicken, baby
He enjoys stealing chickens.
Nine feet, ten feet we're goin' for the build
He's building something that requires nine to ten feet of materials.
Nine feet left on a ten feet of hill
He has one foot of material left to transport up a hill that's ten feet tall.
Ten feet turn around a nine feet fence
He's building something that needs to turn around a nine-foot fence and requires ten feet of material.
His teeth fell out, but his tongue stayed in
Someone he knows lost their teeth, but they're still able to speak.
It's gettin' said so
The idea is being expressed or communicated clearly.
He got the chicken, baby
He successfully stole a chicken.
Leo demarket rode a line one day
A man named Leo Demarket once rode a train or some other mode of transportation.
Bad little fella comin' down the way
A troublesome person was traveling along the same path as Leo.
We were talkin' 'bout the family, its a cryin' shame
While they were traveling, they discussed a family that is in a sad state.
He tell ya, mother is workin' on the chain gang
The troublesome person mentioned that someone's mother is imprisoned and working on a chain gang.
She busts his britches now
That mother is now punishing her son.
She's good at workin' hard
The mother is a diligent worker.
The preacher and the deacon were prayin' one day
Two religious leaders were engaging in prayer together.
Along come a bear comin' down that way
A bear appeared and started approaching them.
The preacher told the deacon to say a prayer
One of the religious leaders asked the other to lead them in prayer.
He said, Lord, a prayer won't kill this bear
The other leader wasn't convinced that prayer would solve their problem with the bear.
I gotta make it, baby
He needs to escape the bear.
I gotta run for it
His plan is to run away from the bear.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Royalty Network
Written by: OTIS REDDING
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Reggie2000
@@nancywood9531 I think you have some facts confused. I literally just looked this all up and your not really correct, because we have laws in the USA that over rule anything and everything on music.
So the song "Shout", was written by "The Isley Brothers". And maybe they own the rights to the song, maybe they don't. They could have sold them, and this happens all the time.
But who ever owns it, gets royalty's, no matter who sings it. Period. This is why the most lucrative part of music, is song rights ownership. Some artists make hundreds of thousands a year just off of a single song they own and recorded decades a go.
When Whitney Houston sang the song "I will always love you" in the 90's, Dolly Parton also made millions, because she owns the song .
In the film "Animal House" an actor named DeWayne Jessie, playing a fictional singer named Otis Day, with a fictional band named The Knights, lip syncd the song Shout, sung in reality by Lloyd G. Williams.
Ergo, Lloyd G. Williams, and who ever owns the rights to Shout, maybe "The Isley Brothers", got paid, period.
And if that is the version on the Soundtrack, and by all accounts it is, then they get paid, period.
It doesn't matter who is and isn't listed. That is not important. That is not how it works.
That is the law, and we all know that when it comes to music in America, the right people get paid. Period. Lawsuits happen when anyone try to circumvent the system, and most often the offender loses, and loses big time.
So after the film, DeWayne Jessie bought the name Otis Day and the Knights from the studio, legal changed his name to Otis Day, and toured as that singer. Then, according to wiki, in 1989, released an album called Shout, produced by George Clinton, and it flopped. But he probably did moderately well touring.
There is a zero point zero percent chance that Lloyd G. Williams did not get what was owed him. Period.
So dems da facts, period.
@Reggie2000
@@nancywood9531 If he signed away his rights, then he is an ahole who got everything he had coming to him, imo
Yes, you can hire someone to sing a song for money. You can go on fiver and do that right now. That is true. I did forget that and I wrongly assumed that they used his recording, as opposed to literally hiring him for a one off. That is my bad.
But only in that I wrongly did not think he was a dumb person. They literally would have let him keep the song for no money paid on that film.
So now the money goes to who ever owns THAT particular cover, and the songs royalty owner. None would go to an actor lip syncing. If they only paid Lloyd a few hundred to sing it, then they definitely didn't pay DeWayne well to pretend to sing it. Once again, Dewayne is not actually singing that song.
You should check out a book called Caddyshack, the making of a Cinderella story if you like Animal House. It covers that film extensively, as well as everyone associated with it, their lives, National Lampoons magazine, the original SNL cast. Very interesting book.
@carolgarcia1434
What a time to be alive!!!
Live/watch it again!!!
Don't count ourselves out, yet!!!
SHOUT!!! SHOUT!!! SHOUT!!!
NOW... I WANT YOU TO KNOW!!! I WANT YOU TO KNOW RIGHT NOW!!!
NOW... WAAAIT A MINUTE!!!!!
A LIL' BIT SOFTER, NOW...
A LIL' BIT SOFTER.. NOW!!!
A LIL' BIT SOFTER...NOW.. !!!
A LITTLE BIT LOUDER NOW!!!
GIMME!!!
IT A LIL' BIT LOUDER, NOW!!!
SING IT WITH ME NOW!!!
(CALL & ANSWER)
YEAH!
YEAH, EAHH!
YEE-AAHAA!
YE-YHAAAA!!!
(DO NOT, GO SOFTLY INTO, THAT DARK NIGHT!!!)
DON'T FORGET TO SAY YOU WILL!!!
DON'T FORGET TO SAY
YEAH!!!
YEAAAH!!
YEEEAH-A-AHHHYA!!!
SAY YOU WILL!!!
My neighbors, and I, hear this song, at least once, every weekend!!! We are blessed!
@Hypeboys1234
This movie was filmed on the University of Oregon campus in the 1970's and this song is still blasted at house parties all over Eugene.
@goldleader2804
Good
@adamjensen_2027
That is so cool!
@LoneTinaja
Ducks know how to rock. I went to my 1st toga/dance party in Texas in the mid ‘60s.
@Shorty_Lickens
I lived in Eugene for 3 years and no one told me any of this, and I never heard the song played at a party until my cousin got married, in Minnesota.
@Noah1997callahan
Can confirm, go to U Of O and went to a frat party few weeks back they played this exact version on the speakers hahah. Was awesome
@JustSomeCanadianGuy
This really is one of the great musical scenes in cinema.
@charliefox8704
This and Johnny B Goode Marty Mcfly
@christopherhoward7753
Right next to Wonder why from Peggy sue got married. And a heart is a house for love from the Five Heartbeats
@drewholland7347
Also Living in America from Rocky 4