Otis and the Waltz

Happy birthday to the late, great, nobody-can-imitate Otis Redding.

The Big O sang from his soul. He makes my top 10 favorite singers list with room to spare.

Did you ever hear how he got his big break?

The story goes that Otis was chauffeuring a group to Stax Records and carrying their instruments into the famous Memphis music studio.

After the session, Otis begged the guys in the booth to listen to him. They said OK.

Otis sang "These Arms of Mine" and the rest is history. If that's not exactly the way it happened, it should be.

My Volunteer State readers (and others of goodwill) may like to hear Otis' stunning version of "The Tennessee Waltz."

Oh, yeah. I remember THE night...

Happy birthday to Macon, Ga.'s favorite son. We lost you too soon, my man.