1967: Otis Redding died in a plane crash in Madison, Wisconsin

Otis Redding was killed in a plane crash in Wisconsin on this day in 1967:

“A plane crash in Madison, Wisconsin, kills soul singer Otis Redding and members of the Bar-Kays band on this day in 1967. The plane crashed into Lake Monona, several miles from the Madison airport.
One survivor, Ben Cauley of the Bar-Kays, later reported that he had been asleep until just before the crash. He saw his friend in the band, Phalon Jones, look out the window of the small plane and exclaim “Oh no!” and, before he knew it, he was in a frigid lake holding onto a seat cushion. The following day, the lake was dragged and the bodies of the victims were recovered. A storm in Madison that day was a factor in the crash but the exact cause was never determined.”

I remember this event quite well.  We had heard on the radio that Otis Redding would play in Madison.  His sudden death was quite a shock for many of us.

Otis Redding recorded “Dock of the Bay” a few days before his death.  It became a #1 song the following spring. 

What a talented performer:

The Very Best Of Otis Redding……. https://t.co/LxPGASwS1b via @amazon

— Silvio Canto, Jr. (@SCantojr) September 9, 2017