1968 Classic Soul Hit, Recorded 3 Days Before Otis Redding's Death, Became First Posthumous No. 1 Single in U.S.

On December 10th, 1967, American singer-songwriter Otis Redding and his band were a part of a plane crash on Lake Monona in Wisconsin. Redding and all other members of the band aside from one were killed in the accident. Redding was just 26 years old at the time of his death.

Just three days before the tragic accident that took Redding's life, he had recorded his final version of the song "(Sittin' On) The Dock of The Bay."

Redding wrote the song in August of 1967 while staying on Bill Graham's houseboat after needing to leave his hotel room in San Francisco that had been swarmed by fans. Redding was listening to Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band repeatedly and became fixated on the idea of creating a new sound for himself. This, combined with how he watched the ships come in and out from the houseboat was his main inspiration behind the beginning stages of the track.

The final recording sessions that resulted in "(Sittin' On) The Dock of The Bay" as we know it today took place on November 22nd and December 7th, 1967. There is a distinct whistle melody within the track that despite some disputes, is attributed to Redding himself. Redding felt like the recording they had on December 7th was not quite it and unfinished, however he tragically wouldn't live to record another version.

Following Redding's death, the song was released in January of 1968. R&B and Soul stations had been overrun with Redding's previous hits and immediately put the new track on many playlists. This shot the song to the top of the charts and beginning in early March of 1968, it stayed there for four weeks. "(Sittin' On) The Dock of The Bay" became Redding's top selling song in his catalog, selling more than 4 million copies worldwide.

The excitement around the track and all of the acclaim led to it being the first number one single to be released posthumously by/for an artist.

The legacy of the song and Redding have withstood of the time. Rolling Stone listed the song among its "500 Greatest Songs of All Time." In 1969, the track won two Grammy Awards and in 1998 the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

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Related: 1967 Classic, Ranked 'Greatest Song of All Time,' Became a No. 1 Hit 59 Years Ago

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This story was originally published June 19, 2026 at 12:51 AM.