Early next year at Harlem’s historic Apollo Theater, a very special “Evening of Respect” will be held in honor of iconic late soul singer Otis Redding, featuring The Dap-Kings as the house band at entertainment heavyweight Whoopi Goldberg as the evening’s master of ceremonies. “An Evening of Respect” will take place on Thursday, January 25th 2018, celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the release of “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of The Bay”.

Otis Redding On The Dock Of The Bay, Remembered On The Anniversary Of His Tragic Death

The story behind “(Sittin’ On)The Dock Of The Bay”, what would become Otis’ first and only #1 hit, is a tragic one. He recorded the song, with its layers of effects, and waves gently lapping to shore, as his first effort to capture a new sound in 1967. As a place-holder for a later proposed vocal effect, he cheekily whistled a happy tune for the outro, intending to replace it somewhere down the line. That later recording session would never come. Three days after that recording session, Redding died in a plane crash during a short flight to a gig in Madison, WI.  Redding’s “(Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay was eventually released early the next year, and became the first-ever posthumous single to hit #1 on the Billboard U.S. Singles Chart.

In addition to a renowned house band in the Dap-Kings (the backing outfit of the late, great Sharon Jones), the superstar hostess in Whoopi, and the iconic venue in The Appollo, the tribute concert will feature performances by musicians that Otis both influenced and collaborated with during his legendary career. The list of artists performing will be announced in the coming weeks.

The show is being produced by JAM, Inc., Jonathan Shank for Red Light Management, and is being promoted by CEG Presents. The show will benefit the Otis Redding Foundation.

Tickets are available via Ticketmaster or at the Apollo Theater Box Office, with public on sale beginning next Tuesday, November 28th, at 10am Eastern Time. You can purchase tickets here.