The Beatles Album That Helped Inspire Otis Redding's Biggest Hit

After an exhausting touring season, the Georgia-born singer-songwriter Otis Redding spent a week in August 1967 living on a houseboat in Sausalito, California, overlooking the Bay of San Francisco. It was here that he composed what would prove the biggest and most celebrated song of his career, "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay."

The houseboat, which Redding rented along with his promoter, Bill Graham, was an obvious inspiration for the song—but not the only one. The story goes that Redding spent the entire week playing the Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" on repeat, and the band's new album—released that year—inspired him to create music unlike anything he'd made before.

Between his deep, soulful voice and the mournful lyrics of the song itself, people are often surprised to learn that Redding wrote "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" when he was just 26 years old. However, his age also explains why the song ended up being so different from his previous work.

How the Beatles Changed Otis Redding's Sound

A young man, Redding wanted to spread his wings and develop as an artist. The revolutionary music of the Beatles and Bob Dylan—who came to see Redding perform at a club in Los Angeles in 1966—inspired him to step outside of the world of soul and play with up-and-coming genres like pop and folk music. Hitherto reliant on the quality of his voice, he now wanted to experiment with songwriting.

Developments in his personal life also played their role in shaping the quieter, more intimate sound of "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay." According to an article written for Performing Songwriter, Redding had fallen out of love with his wife, Zelma Atwood, and begun dating fellow soul musician Carla Thomas, the so-called "Queen of Memphis Soul." He was also getting into conflict with his record label, whose desire to keep him on tour clashed with his wish to start his own label.  

A Hit Redding Never Got to Hear

When Redding played the song for his producers, its newness left them feeling confused, even worried. He was sure he had a hit on his hands, though, and in the end his instincts proved right: "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" became his first Billboard No. 1 single, and is now the most famous and beloved of all his songs.

Sadly, Redding didn’t live to see its success. After recording the song, he died in a plane crash over Lake Monona, near Madison Municipal Airport in Wisconsin. Redding, alongside his entourage, was traveling for a gig, and only one of the passengers— trumpet player Ben Cauley—survived the accident. As a result, "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" sounds even more melancholic than it must have sounded when the song was first created.

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