“These Arms of Mine” by Otis Redding

"These Arms of Mine" is where Otis Redding's recording career really begins, and it began almost by accident. He was singing in Pat Teacake's Band alongside guitarist Johnny Jenkins and doubling as Jenkins' driver, since Jenkins had no licence. When Atlantic's Joe Galkin got Jenkins into a studio and the session with Booker T. & the M.G.'s wrapped early, Redding got a chance to sing this and "Hey Hey Baby". Jim Stewart was so taken that he signed him to Stax in Memphis.

It became his first Stax single, with "Hey Hey Baby" on the flip, and his first success, selling around 800,000 copies before landing on his 1964 Atco debut, Pain in My Heart. Stewart produced; Steve Cropper plays guitar and piano, Jenkins more guitar, Booker T. Jones organ, Lewie Steinberg bass, Al Jackson Jr. drums, and Packy Axton and Floyd Newman saxophones behind an aching plea of a vocal.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.