Thursday 12 December 2013

‘All of those hippies got quiet’: Inside Otis Redding’s breakout performance at Monterey Pop

Otis Redding made his signature debut before a predominantly white audience at the Monterey Pop Festival, and those who were on stage with him say the moment still resonates more than 45 years later.

“Otis was just explosive,” says Wayne Jackson of the Memphis Horns, in this newly posted clip from Dreams to Remember. “He just rolled over them, like the tide. And when we were through, the Smothers Brothers had introduced us, and they were on the side of the stage, just jumping up and down. They were beside themselves.”

Redding, who was backed by Jackson as part of the Memphis Horns and by Booker T. and the MGs, had earlier performed club dates at the Whisky a Go Go, but had principally played before mainly African American audiences until Monterey Pop in the summer of 1967. After a volcanic set that included both “Respect” and “Satisfaction,” Redding’s crossover seemed to be complete.

Redding got on a roll, and just kept going — right past an agreed upon curfew. The MGs’ Steve Cropper said a legendary label head made sure the show would continue. “Phil Walden said: ‘You’re not shutting those guys off. Not while I’m standing here.’”

As many as 90,000 people were on hand for the Monterey Pop Festival, which took place over three days. Also on the bill were Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Ravi Shankar, the Who and others. None, however, made quite the impression that Redding did.

“When Booker T. and the MGs hit that stage, it just got quiet,” Jackson remembers. “All of those hippies got quiet — because they hadn’t seen anything like us. The heat in the audience came up, you could feel the heat coming up, and the excitement level. And, boy, Otis Redding hit the stage and pandemonium broke out. They really hadn’t seen anything like the show we put on, and that Otis put on.”

Unfortunately, Monterey would be one of his last public performances. Redding died in a plane crash just six months later at age 26 on 10th December 1967.

No comments:

Post a Comment

The Modernist - The In Sound on BDQ Records

PRE ORDER RELEASE DATE 18th APRIL 2024 The Modernist B/w Our Man in Tokyo  Super limited 45 - This fab Hammond from The In Sound is a proper...