On March 16, 1968, Otis Redding’s first posthumous release since his death months earlier reached no. 1 on the charts. It was the first posthumous record ever to hit no. 1 in American music history. The release of “(Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay” came just weeks earlier on January 8, 1968. The soul-folk song’s release came less than a month after Redding tragically passed on December 10, 1967.
It was a bittersweet success at the time. Otis Redding had perished in a plane crash just three days after “(Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay” was recorded. The world was still mourning his untimely death at the age of only 26.
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The Legacy of Otis Redding’s Posthumous Hit, “(Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay”
“(Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay” was written by Redding and guitar player Steve Cropper. It was originally released by Stax Records via the Volt label in 1968. The song quickly became the very first posthumous no. 1 single in the United States. It seems fitting that such an accolade would belong to the incomparable Otis Redding.
The track made it to no. 1 on the US Hot Rhythm & Blues chart and no. 3 on the Cashbox Top 100 chart. The song also hit no. 3 in the UK, and also charted quite well in Canada, Ireland, Italy, New Zealand, and South Africa.
Otis Redding began writing what would be his biggest posthumous hit in 1967 while touring with the Bar-Kays. His fame had started to grow stateside, and countless fans were bombarding his hotel while he was touring.
Musician Bill Graham offered him a spot on his houseboat in Sausalito, California, to get away from the madness. That’s where Redding got inspired to write “(Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay”. He continued to jot down lyrics for the song on napkins throughout his tour, even after his famous performance at the Monterey Pop Festival.
There’s a heartwarming detail about this song worth mentioning. After Redding had passed, Cropper decided to mix the song at Stax Studios. There, he added in the now-haunting sound of seagulls crying and waves crashing, as Redding had asked him to ahead of his death. Redding told Cropper that he enjoyed hearing those sounds while staying on Graham’s houseboat, where he first conceived of the now-legendary “(Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay”.
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