tunes you need Tuesday: try a little tenderness edition

I love music with soul.  There's nothing like music you can feel, that stirs something in you and one guy who did that like no one else (as far as I'm concerned) is Otis.  Otis Redding is and was the best at what he did and what he did was make you feel what he was feeling and as an artist, what could be better than that? 

Otis was born in Georgia and grew up in Macon, a town the hubs and I lived in for a couple of years before Molly was born.  I don't know what it was about that town, but a lot of musicians came out of Macon.  The Allman Brothers, Mike Mills and Bill Berry of REM, and Little Richard are also from Macon — and the kazoo was invented there in the 1840's.  It's also home to Capricorn Records, which is pretty cool.  And the Georgia Music Hall of Fame is there as well, if you're ever in Macon for some reason (I really can't think of why you would be unless you were attending Mercer or Wesleyan or if you have family there) you should check it out, it will be well worth your time. 

Back to Otis.  So, Otis said he entered the music business because of Little Richard, who was a big influence on him and wound up recording a few of the best loved songs anyone has ever recorded.  Everyone knows "(Sittin' on the) Dock of the Bay" and "Try a Little Tenderness," and I'm sure everyone my age remembers the scene in Pretty in Pink with Duckie lip synching and dancing to "Tenderness."  But did you know he wrote "Respect" — the song my girl Aretha ReeRee Franklin is known for?  But my favorite Otis song is "I've Been Loving You to Long," followed closely by "I've Got Dreams to Remember" and "Cigarettes and Coffee."  Those songs are all soul and better than nearly anything that you would hear on the radio today.  I have to admit, I really don't listen to the radio because a lot of the music is annoying and over done, over mixed, and just over.  I like music with passion, expression, great lyrics, great melody, and emotion and Otis has it all. 

So, here's a little Otis Redding for your Tuesday, and because I obviously can't figure out how to post an audio clip, I'm pulling videos from Youtube, which isn't ideal for listening, but it's the best I can do for now.  Happy Tuesday.