Otis Ray Redding, Jr. (September 9, 1941 December 10, 1967) was an American soul singer. He is renowned for an ability to convey strong emotion through his voice.Pat Browne, The guide to United States popular culture, 2001, p. 672Richard J. Ripani, The New Blue Music: Changes in Rhythm & Blues, 1950-1999, 2006, p. 85. According to the website of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (where he was inducted in 1989), Redding's name is "synonymous with the term soul, music that arose out of the black exp