What I've Been Reading 

Otis Redding: An Unfinished Life

Book by Jonathan Gould

It all started when…

"In the Midnight Hour" marked the dawn of a new era at Stax. "I think it was the first time we had a chance to work with somebody that was up on the music scene from a different part of the country," Steve Cropper recalled. "We had been doing our own kind of thing, the way we wanted to do it." In Tom Dowd's view, "They'd be the first to say that they learned as much from Jerry as he learned from them. Jerry would be demanding; he made them less laid back. They taught him musical relaxtion, he schooled them on concentration and intensity." 

The above excerpt from Jonathan Gould's bio of soul titan Otis Redding is unique in a few ways: First, it has depth. The subtitle, An Unfinished Life, is depicted throughout the work, not just a

depth of exploration - not just a laundry list of tour dates and a few anecdotes from the musician's life. Instead, this focuses just as intently on the moments between the landmarks. 

existence in a context - otis, and his life, are important. his musical career (although relatively brief) has left a lasting legacy that still exists as a cultural touchstone. you'll find samples of his songs in recent chart toppers and