Happy Belated Birthday to Otis Redding, the King of Soul!

If indeed Aretha Franklin is the Queen of Soul, then Otis Redding was the indisputable King. In the decades that have passed since the horrific plane crash that took his life and the lives of his bandmates on December 10, 1967, only a handful of performers have come close to equaling him in terms of passion, expression, and, yes, pure, gritty R&B.

Born September 9, 1941, Redding played in a variety of small-time groups before being signed to a then-fledgling Atlantic Records. An exceptional songwriter even in his formative stages, he immediately impressed the powers that were with his remarkable ballad "These Arms of Mine," which subsequently launched his career.