I attended the Otis Redding Foundation Gala at the Woodruff Arts Center. The event was star-studded filled with performances by Estelle, Anthony Hamilton, Kenny Lattimore, Chante Moore, Karina and Redding’s children Dexter and Otis III. The concert began late however, once it began it was not disappointing.
Estelle began the evening saying, “I’m just trying to do his song justice,” who sang “Satisfaction.” Satisfaction is a Rolling Stones song that Redding covered. “I hope I come close to making the song sound great just like him.” Estelle’s performance left the audience wanting more. She was the perfect person to begin the night. It was quite odd however, watching her perform in a setting that was not her own concert. I remember seeing Estelle live this summer in New York and she was very free in spirit. However, due to the occasion of the night Estelle maintained her composure to deliver just to one of Otis Redding’s songs.
It had been quite sometime since I had heard Chante Moore sing but her performance of “Respect” reminded me of just how much I missed her voice on the music scene. Anthony Hamilton performed “Try a Little Tenderness” with Redding’s sons Dexter and Otis III. Hamilton’s entrance on stage was superb. I could not have imagined a better person besides Redding, himself. As the song came to a close towards the last chorus Redding’s children introduced their father and a video began to play of Redding’s performance. It was a great evening and homage to their father.
Redding established himself in the early 1960s as a first-rate songwriter, penning and recording “Respect,” which Aretha Franklin made a No. 1 hit. His biggest hit, “Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay,” was released after his death in a plane crash in December 1967.
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