(Sittin' On) the Dock of the Bay

About this song

Otis Redding was ambitious to record a number one hit, and the song finally reached number one on the Billboard charts in March 1968, though he never saw its full success. It was recorded shortly before Redding died in a plane crash on December 10, 1967, and co-writer Steve Cropper was pushed by the record label to release it soon after. It became the first posthumous number one hit in United States chart history, won two Grammys for Best R&B Song and Best Male R&B Vocal Performance, and has been sampled by artists including De La Soul, Ol' Dirty Bastard, and Blackalicious.

Fun facts

• Sampled in 8 other songs, like “Inspired By by Ant”.
• Covered 39 times, including “(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay by Da Vinci's Notebook”.
• Written by Otis Redding and Steve Cropper.
• Produced by Steve Cropper.
• Recorded at Stax Studios.