These Arms of Mine

Otis Redding wasn't supposed to record on this day; he was simply the driver for guitarist Johnny Jenkins. When Jenkins's session finished early, Stax executive Jim Stewart allowed the 21-year-old Redding to use the remaining studio time. Backed by the Stax house band (with Johnny Jenkins on guitar, Steve Cropper on piano, Booker T. Jones on organ, and Lewie Steinberg on bass) Redding sang "These Arms of Mine." He delivered the slow, 6/8 ballad with a pleading, deeply emotional intensity derived from the Georgia gospel tradition. The track became his debut hit, launching a career that would define Southern soul.