(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay is a soulful, folk-tinged classic co-written by Otis Redding and Steve Cropper. Redding began writing the lyrics in August 1967 on a houseboat in Sausalito, California, and finished the song in Memphis with Cropper. Recorded in late November and early December 1967 at Stax, it was released on January 8, 1968 as the title track of the album The Dock of the Bay on Volt. The song features Redding's restrained vocal delivery with Cropper's guitar, and it famously includes whistling and the sounds of waves and seagulls added by Cropper after Redding's death. It became Redding's first posthumous million-seller and reached number 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number 3 in the UK. It won two Grammys in 1969 for Best R&B Song and Best Male R&B Vocal Performance and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1998. The track is remembered for its mood and its crossover appeal, bridging soul with folk influences. Personnel included Otis Redding (vocals), Steve Cropper (guitar), Booker T. Jones (keyboards), Donald Dunn (bass), Al Jackson Jr. (drums), with the Memphis Horns on brass.
