Otis Redding: Mr. Pitiful

Mr. Pitiful, penned by Otis Redding and Steve Cropper guitarist of the Stax Records house band, was written in response to a radio deejay who thought Otis Redding sounded pitiful when recording ballads. The idea came to Cropper in the shower. Recorded in 10 minutes and initially released as a B-side, it was later the most successful song on the 1965 album The Great Otis Redding Sings Soul Ballads.

Photo courtesy Atlantic Records