Throwback: Happy 85th Birthday, Otis Redding!

If you’ve been frequenting this site over the past week or so, you know that I was just up in Rouyn-Noranda, Québec to cover this year’s edition of FME. I had pitched coverage to a publication so hopefully you’ll see some of that in the future. I got back yesterday morning and it has been a busy time of running errands, desperately trying to make my deadline while being sleep deprived and uploading the photos I took onto a hard drive for editing.

Now that I’m back, let’s get to it, huh?

It’s September y’all! It’s been a miserable, soul-wrenching slog of a year, full of gratuitous brutality and barbarism, endless war. a slow-burning slide into fascism and economic collapse. But somehow, the year has raced by. Summer is almost over. And we’re still here surviving as best as we can.

Music, art and community matter more than ever. Let’s not forget that fact. As always, I will spend some time celebrating the birthday of a series of favorites and legends while we still have them.

• Gloria Estefan celebrated her 68th birthday on September 1
• The Bee Gees‘ Barry Gibb celebrated his 80th birthday on September 1
• Soundgarden guitarist
• Kim Thayil celebrated his 66th birthday on September 4
• Freddie Mercury, one of the greatest vocalists and entertainers in rock history was born 80 years ago on September 5
• Disco and dance music icon Sylvester was born 79 years ago on September 6
• Pink Floyd‘s co-founder and creative force Roger Waters celebrates his 83rd on September 6
• Hip hop pioneer Easy E was born 62 years ago on September 7
• The legendary Patsy Cline was born 94 years ago on September 8
• Dave Stewart, best known for being one-half of smash-hit pop/New Wave duo Eurythmics, celebrates his 74th birthday today.

The legendary, King of Soul, Otis Redding was born on this day 85 years ago. We tragically lost Redding, members of his backing band The Bar-Kays, their plane’s pilot and some other staff, 59 years ago. What would have become of Redding’s career, if they didn’t decide to take that tragic flight that night? 

What I can say is that his music remains toweringly influential and as important as ever. Plus, his set at Monterrey Pop Festival is much like going to church. 

Happy birthday, Otis. Happy birthday, wherever you are!

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The Joy of Violent Movement is a completely independent and completely D.I.Y. media outlet. Over the course of this site’s 16 year history, I’ve used my fiercely independent stance to cover music with an eclectic and global perspective that a lot of other publications just don’t have — and will likely never have. 

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