Otis Redding

Otis Ray Redding Jr. (September 9, 1941 – December 10, 1967) was an American singer and songwriter. He is regarded as one of the greatest singers in the history of American popular music and an influential artist in soul music and rhythm and blues. Nicknamed the "King of Soul", Redding's style of singing drew inspiration from the gospel music that preceded the genre. His vocal style influenced many other soul artists of the 1960s.

After Redding's death, the Académie du Jazz in France named an award after him. The Prix Otis Redding is given to the best record release in the field of R&B. Redding was the first recipient of the award for The Otis Redding Story on Stax; following winners of the award include Aretha Franklin, Ike & Tina Turner, and Curtis Mayfield. In 1968, the National Association of Television and Radio Announcers (NATRA) created the Otis Redding Award in his honor.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducted Redding in 1989, declaring his name to be "synonymous with the term soul music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm and blues into a form of funky, secular testifying." In 1988, he was inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame.