Overview

When he died suddenly at the age of twenty-six, Otis Redding (1941—1967) was the conscience of a new kind of soul music. Berry Gordy built the first black-owned music empire at Motown but Redding was doing something as historic: mainstreaming black music within the whitest bastions of the post-Confederate south. As a result, the Redding story—still largely untold—is one of great conquest but grand tragedy. Now, in this transformative work, Mark Ribowsky contextualises Redding's life within the larger cultural movements of his era. What emerges in Dreams to Remember is not only a triumph of music history but also a reclamation of a visionary who would come to define an entire era.

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9781631491931

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Reviews

A fascinating tale of the artist and his musical era. -- Dave Shiflett - Washington Post Subtly passionate... What Mark Ribowsky has done here is to describe someone who was, not divine, but as godlike as a human can be. -- David Kirby - Wall Street Journal [A]n engaging account of Redding's rise to stardom and the parallel story of Stax/Volt... Insightful and informative. -- Michelle Jones - Dallas Morning News Ribowsky has labored hard to get at [Redding's] emotional center. Unlike other performers who died far too young, Redding's death did not come out of abuse, and though he suffered, it was a universal human suffering-a pain in the heart that, partnered with unerring musical instinct, personal strength, and a little tenderness, he transformed into art. Ribowsky goes into the seamy side of the record business but also the sheer beauty and magic of the sixties soul music that Redding epitomized. -- Mark Levine - Booklist A rousing storyteller, Ribowsky energetically chronicles Redding's rise from local singer to the King of Soul... A fast-paced and entertaining tale of a man, a time and a place where black and white musicians, in spite of the racial tensions swirling around them, came together simply by playing the sweet soul music that transcends any divisions. -- Henry L. Carrigan Jr. - Bookpage.com The definitive look at the life and career of Otis Redding thus far. More importantly, [Ribowsky] offers a sort of parallel book about the political and social implications of 'Southern Soul' music in the '60s, as well as the story of Stax Records, Redding's label where he was also the undisputed marquee artist... Listeners can find a new appreciation for this King of Soul whose reign was all too brief. -- Bob Ruggiero - Houston Press The best... Otis Redding biography to date... The soul and R&B singers and rappers who have come along in the nearly half-century since [Redding's] death owe him a huge debt of gratitude. -- George de Stefano - Popmatters

...lively and judicious account of the life of Otis Redding... -- The Telegraph His [Ribowsky's] understanding of the music is exemplary... -- Mojo A lot of familiar ground is inevitably covered, but Ribowsky is largely equal to the task of making it seem fresh again...He's especially good at the way the music business at the time was run... -- Uncut Ribowsky tackles his subject matter with conviction and aplomb, reaffirming Redding's seismic role in Southern soul music... -- Record Collector

Author Information

Mark Ribowsky is the author of twelve books, including Ain't Too Proud to Beg: The Troubled Lives and Enduring Soul of the Temptations and the New York Times Notable Book Don't Look Back: Satchel Paige in the Shadows of Baseball. He lives in Florida.

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