On its final approach to Madison, Wisconsin on December 10,
1967, the private plane carrying soul-music legend Otis Redding
(26)crashed into the frigid waters of a small lake three miles short
of the runway, killing seven of the eight men aboard, including
Redding. “Sittin’ On The Dock Of The Bay”, which he had been
recording, would be released in its “unfinished” form several
weeks later, with Redding’s whistled verse a seemingly
indispensable part of the now-classic record and would soon
become history’s first posthumous #1 hit and the biggest pop
hit of Redding’s career.
