Honoring Otis: Foundation of late singer who died in Madison nurtures aspiring musicians

MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) - Some called Otis Redding “The King of Soul”. Karla Redding called him “Dad”.

Reflecting on her late father 55 years after his death in a Lake Monona plane crash, Karla Redding-Andrews said, “I think what made him a success was the fact that he was so talented…but also he was a very humble person. He didn’t really think he could sing that well. According to my Mother, he’d say, ‘Well, you know I don’t dance well, I don’t really sing that great. But I just do what I can do.’”

Audiences sure loved what he could do...and he spent much of the year performing on the road. On December 10, 1967, Redding’s career was skyrocketing when he and band members flew on his private jet from Cleveland to Madison to perform a concert. The plane crashed into Lake Monona in bad weather. Redding and six others on-board died.

Redding-Andrews was just 5 years old at the time. She said, ”I just remember how sad and just grieving my Mom was. You know someone called her on the phone and told her that the plane had crashed in Madison, Wisconsin in Lake Monona. To see the grief in her, the moaning and the wailing…yeah, it got very real for us kids—me, my brothers—because we knew something had happened at that time. You know, I think just realizing that Dad was actually not coming back and realizing that people loved him just as much as we did. They were hurting and in pain just as much as I could see my Mom, and my Uncle and my Dad’s sisters, my aunts…even the Macon community. You know everyday it was a tear, everyday just saying how hurt they are. ”

Redding-Andrews added, “We still get those same sentiments. Every day…just like Dad died two years ago….and here we are fifty-plus years. People are still saying how sad they are that he’s gone.”

The last song he recorded before his death, “(Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay” became Redding’s biggest hit, topping the charts in the U.S. It was released in early 1968, soon after his death.

Karla Redding-Andrews added, “You know I think I appreciate the world—not just Macon, not just Madison, because I know that there are certainly some feelings and true commitment to the legacy of Otis Redding there--but I just thank the community, the world for still always uplifting and honoring Otis Redding. The music will live on forever... but he was more than that.”

While Otis Redding is gone, his music didn’t die that day in 1967, nor did his dream to give back to others, especially children. Prior to his death, Otis encouraged kids to not drop out of school, held a summer educational camp for underprivileged kids, and awarded scholarships to youth from underserved communities.

Redding-Andrews said, “It was important to him because he knew he didn’t get a chance to finish school…and he felt like music and the arts was that one channel for self expression and creativity, which is exactly what it was for him. He wanted to make sure that every kid from underserved communities has access to that.”

Since his death, his widow Zelma has worked tirelessly to carry on Otis’ memory and that dream to give back. She established the Otis Redding Foundation in 2007.

According to Redding-Andrews, “My Dad’s legacy remains at the forefront that it is because of my Mom. She loved him then and loves him dearly, like he’s just on vacation somewhere. She never let anyone tarnish his name, image, or likeness. She controls everything as it relates to Otis Redding and has done so for years.”

Through the Otis Redding Foundation Zelma established in 2007, each summer kids are able to attend music camps, learning how to produce, write, sing, and record music.

Redding-Andrews said, “She just stuck to her goal. Her goal was that one, her husband’s legacy remained relevant through his music…but also to know that he was more than that. He was more than just a man writing these amazing songs. He was a community advocate, he was a great father, he was passionate about what happens in his community—particularly for young people. I think that’s the goal she set, and here we are, keeping it alive every single day.”

Redding-Andrews said it’s wonderful to see kids excel in Otis Music Camp.

“It’s been great for some of the lives we’ve been able to touch. Some of the kids come in and they have no idea of what to expect. But by day 2, they’re all collaborating with each other, they’re having these amazing ideas of how to put the music down, how to write the lyrics. It’s just amazing…and not only that, we have so many celebrity artists who come in and speak to the kids again, about the importance of an education. Making sure that you stay in school, get those grades, those good grades if you can. But it makes them feel really proud of what they’re doing with each other.”

Now the Otis Redding Foundation is working to build the 9,300-square-foot state-of-the-art Otis Redding Center for the Arts, on the same street that housed Otis’ office in the 1960s. ”So we are really following in my father’s footsteps again to really do great things here in Macon on Cotton Avenue,” Redding-Andrews said.

She added, “Macon is all about music. I mean you think about who comes out of Macon—Little Richard, Otis Redding, Lena Horne, the Allman Brothers, Jason Aldean…all of that great music history and heritage comes right out of these waters. And we are creating what could be one day the next Otis Redding, the next Allman Brothers Band, or the next Lena Horne. We want to be on the forefront of making that happen. We hope the next Otis Redding will come from right here.”

Asked what her father would think of the work his foundation is doing, Redding-Andrews answered, “Oh my goodness. He’d be so proud. He is proud. He’d be 81 this year, and I think he’d be right here working with us to make sure that that center is a success...I think he would just love that.”

The King of Soul...long may his legacy live.

Click here for more information on the Otis Redding Foundation, Otis Redding Center for the Arts, or to Donate to the Otis Redding Foundation.

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