With the recent passing of the revered R&B guitarist Steve Cropper, we're taking a look back at an iconic song that Cropper co-wrote and produced with Otis Redding: (Sittin’ on) The Dock of the Bay.
The song’s status as a piece of music is almost overshadowed by the tragic circumstances of its making. Three days after recording the final take, Otis Redding died in a plane crash, aged only 26. The crash also killed several members of Redding’s backing band, the Bar-Kays. Steve Cropper says that having to finish and mix the song afterwards was the hardest thing he ever did, and I believe him. It was the first posthumous No 1 hit on the Billboard charts.
