Otis Redding (Otis Ray Redding Jr., Dawson, Georgia, September 9, 1941 – Madison, Wisconsin, December 10, 1967) was a highly influential soul singer from Georgia, USA. Redding was born in the small town of Dawson, Georgia. When he was 5, his family moved to Macon, Georgia. Redding sang in the choir at church, and as a teenager won the talent show at the Douglass Theatre for 15 weeks in a row. His early influences were Little Richard and Sam Cooke. Read more on Last.fm.