UGA will present a tribute to Otis Redding, the Georgia-born singer and songwriter best known for his hit “(Sittin’ on) The Dock of the Bay,” on Feb. 17 at the Georgia Center for Continuing Education, where the WUGA studios are located.
Redding made one of his earliest recordings in the early 1960s in the WUGA studios. The Georgia Music Hall of Fame will present a plaque to WUGA during the ceremony to commemorate the historic recording.
The two-hour tribute, which is open to the public, will start at 2 p.m. in Mahler Auditorium. The Redding family will participate in a question-and-answer session.
Athens-Clarke County Mayor Heidi Davison will present a proclamation to Redding’s family declaring Feb. 17 “Otis Redding Day” in Athens, and other presentations commemorating Redding’s career will be made by the Atlanta chapter of the Recording Academy and music publisher BMI.
Born in Dawson and raised in Macon, Redding joined Little Richard’s band, The Upsetters. On Dec. 10, 1967, his chartered plane crashed into a Wisconsin lake, killing Redding and four members of his backup band.
Redding was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989 by Little Richard.
