News Story by: Conqueroo
16 Vintage Television Performances by the Legendary Soul Singer Now Available for the
First Time on DVD! Includes 40 Minutes of New Interviews Documenting His Life and Work.
LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- To commemorate the 40th anniversary of Otis’ death and to
celebrate the 50th anniversary of Stax Records, Reelin’ In The Years Productions and Stax
Records (a division of Concord Music Group) are proud to announce the September 18,
2007 release of Dreams To Remember: The Legacy Of Otis Redding on DVD. Featured for
the first time on this 90-minute DVD are 16 classic full-length performances by one of the
greatest singers and performers of all time. Interspersed between the performances are
more than 40 minutes of exclusive new interviews documenting Otis’ incredible life and
career. Issued with the full cooperation of his estate, this is the first official DVD anthology
of classic archival Otis Redding television performances.
Dreams To Remember: The Legacy Of Otis Redding includes a wealth of staggering
performances filmed throughout America and Europe beginning with Otis singing one of
his earliest hits, “Pain In My Heart” and progressing through the artist’s Stax/Volt career
including complete performances of “I Can’t Turn You Loose,” “I’ve Been Loving You Too
Long,” “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” and a host of others. The final two performances are
“Try A Little Tenderness” and “Respect,” taped at a local Cleveland television show less
than 24 hours before Otis’ death.
Continuing in the tradition of DVDs produced by Reelin’ In The Years such as The
Temptations — Get Ready! The Definitive Performances 1965-1972 (RIAA certified
platinum) and Marvin Gaye — The Real Thing In Performance 1964-1981 (RIAA certified
gold), Dreams To Remember: The Legacy Of Otis Redding features classic performances
with re-mastered sound and video as well as in-depth interviews with those who helped
Otis write and create his incredible music with stirring reminiscences from his wife Zelma
and daughter Karla. Also interviewed are Steve Cropper, who co-wrote with Otis and
played guitar on virtually every record he made at Stax; Wayne Jackson, the trumpet player
for the Mar-Keys/Memphis Horns who also played on most of Otis’ recordings, and Jim
Stewart, the founder of Stax Records, who gave his first interview in 13 years for this DVD.
These tender and insightful interviews paint a portrait of Otis as an amazing singer, artist,
songwriter, and family man. The story begins with memories of his first amateur talent
contests and concludes with the touching recollections of the final days leading up to the
tragic plane crash on December 10, 1967. In between are stories about Otis writing
songs, recording at Stax and performing on stage (including the historic Monterey Pop
Festival.)
Dreams To Remember: The Legacy Of Otis Redding also features a 24-page booklet with
an extensive essay by GRAMMY® award-winning writer Rob Bowman (author of Soulsville
U.S.A.: The Story Of Stax Records), who also conducted the interviews and co-produced
this DVD. In addition, the booklet includes rare photographs and memorabilia. Featured in
the bonus section is a photo gallery with never-before-seen images from the Redding
family’s personal archives and a recently discovered radio interview recorded in London in
1966. Also, created exclusively for the DVD, is a new video for “(Sittin’ On) The Dock Of
The Bay” (a song that wasn’t completed until shortly after Otis’ passing).
For Dreams To Remember: The Legacy Of Otis Redding every effort has been made to
locate the best possible sound and video; each of the performances has been re-
transferred and re-mastered from the best-quality, original masters (some resting in the
television vaults for more than 40 years). In the case of lip-sync performances, the original
Stax master recordings have been used, replacing the original TV broadcast audio and
making for a much more enjoyable viewing and listening experience.
Dreams To Remember: The Legacy of Otis Redding also marks the 50th anniversary and
reactivation of Stax Records. Concord Music Group purchased Stax Records in 2004 and is
in the midst of a year-long celebration that also includes several reissue CDs, a
documentary (Respect Yourself: The Stax Records Story, that premiered on PBS on August
1) and the re-signing of veteran Isaac Hayes and Angie Stone, as well as several new
artists, who will usher in a new era of soul music. For the latest Stax 50th anniversary
news, please visit http://http://www.stax50.com.
Reelin' In The Years Productions LLC is the world’s largest music footage library and has
produced over 30 DVD releases including the four-volume The American Folk Blues
Festival 1962-1969 DVD series. Released to universal critical acclaim, Volume One was
nominated for a GRAMMY® award in the category of “Best Long Form Music Video.” 2006
saw the release of the certified-platinum The Temptations — Get Ready, The Definitive
Performances 1965–1972, the certified-gold Marvin Gaye — The Real Thing In
Performance 1964–1981 and Smokey Robinson & The Miracles — Definitive Performances
1963–1987, the first official DVD anthologies of classic archival television performances by
Motown artists. Also in 2006 were the first nine DVDs in the Jazz Icons™ series with the
next seven DVDs in the series to be released in September 2007. For further information,
please visit http://www.reelinintheyears.com or http://www.jazzicons.com .
Producers David Peck, Phil Galloway and Rob Bowman are available for interviews.
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