Music’s Aviation Tragedies: Otis Redding & the Bar-Kays

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Many of you who know your rock and roll history have probably been waiting for this person to show up. As with a couple of other tragedies in this list, it’s mostly thought of as the crash that killed the biggest name; however, there was a lot more lost in this one. Here’s today’s memorial. Otis Redding & the Bar-Kays Let me start with the Bar-Kays, because they’re a classic example of “what-if.” A soul group (with a Caucasian drummer, go figure ) formed in Memphis, they recorded for Stax Records and were beginning to build a name for themselves…so much so that Otis Redding wanted them as his backing band on tour. They had a substantial R&B and moderate “pop” hit with “Soul Finger” in 1967, showing they were on their way. Otis Redding, on the other hand, was a major R&B star. His version of “Try a Little Tenderness” in 1966 was a top 30 pop and top 10 soul hit. While he had a good-sized hit with the self-penned “Respect” in 1965, it was Aretha Franklin who made it legendary. On December 7, 1967, Redding and guitarist Steve “the Colonel” Cropper were in the studio, putting the finishing touches on a song that Redding had written about leaving his Macon, Georgia home to go to the Monterey Pop Festival in San Francisco. A lot of people, including Redding’s wife, weren’t too keen on the song because…well, it wasn’t “typical Otis Redding” sounding. Three days later, Redding and the Bar-Kays, back on tour, left Cleveland after doing a concert and a local TV appearance. They were going to Madison, Wisconsin to play a club. Don’t stop me if you’ve heard this one before: the pilot was warned that the weather in Madison was bad, with low visibility and snow. He took off anyway. (Oh, and you’ll hear this again on the countdown.) This was a private Beechcraft, not a modern plane with de-icing built in to the wings. The plane was attempting to land (an instrument landing, not visual [at least that part was correct]) in bad weather at Truax Field in Madison when it went down in a lake. Of the seven people aboard — Redding, five of the six members of the Bar-Kays (as the plane had room for only six passengers, James Alexander, the bassist, flew on another plane), and the pilot — only trumpet player Ben Cauley survived. Two months later, “(Sittin’ on) The Dock of the Bay” became the first posthumous hit to top the Billboard pop and soul charts (although it had been done a number of times on the country charts). Cauley and Alexander re-formed the Bar-Kays, but by then Stax Records was too deep in debt for them to continue to build on the “Soul Finger” success. The Bar-Kays became primarily a session band and a touring band, and a sad footnote to a sad chapter in music history. Otis Redding Born Otis Ray Redding Jr. September 9, 1941 - December 10, 1967 (age 26) The Bar-Kays Ronald Lewis “Ronnie” Caldwell (December 27, 1948 - December 10, 1967) (age 18) Carl Lee Cunningham (1948 - December 10, 1967) (age 19) Phalon Rogers Jones, Jr. (1948 - December 10, 1967) (age 19) Jimmie King, Jr. (June 8, 1949 - December 10, 1967) (age 18) Place of crash: Lake Monona, Madison, Wisconsin The classic Otis Redding song: