Otis Ray Redding, Jr. (September 9, 1941 – December 10, 1967) was an American singer, songwriter, record producer, arranger, and talent scout. He is considered one of the greatest singers in the history of American popular music and a seminal artist in soul music and rhythm and blues. His singing style influenced many other soul artists of the 1960s. During his lifetime, his recordings were produced by Stax Records, based in Memphis, Tennessee, and exemplify the sound of Stax.

On December 9, 1967, Redding performed on Cleveland musical variety TV show Upbeat. He played back to back performances that night at Leo’s Casino. The next day, Otis and his band were scheduled to play at the Factory nightclub in Madison, Wisconsin. At the time, Redding and his band had been traveling between performances in his Beechcraft Model 18. On a foggy and frigid December 10, 1967, the aircraft pilot radioed to land at Traux Field in Madison. Shortly after, the airplane crashed into Lake Monona, only 4 miles from the airstrip. The crash claimed 7 of the 8 lives on board, trumpet player Ben Cauley being the only survivor. Otis Redding was 26 years old at the time of the crash.