The Dock of the Bay is the first of a number of posthumously released Otis Redding albums, and his seventh studio album. It contains a number of singles and B-sides dating back to 1965 and one of his best known songs, the posthumous hit "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay". In 2003, the album was ranked number 161 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" is a song co-written by soul singer Otis Redding and guitarist Steve Cropper. It was recorded by Redding twice in 1967-once just days before his death in a December 10, 1967, plane crash. It was released after his death on Stax Records' Volt label in 1968, becoming the first posthumous single to top the charts in the US. It charted at number 3 on the UK Singles Chart. Redding started writing the lyrics to the song in August 1967, while sitting on a rented houseboat in Sausalito, California. He completed the song with the help of Stax producer and Booker T and the M.G.'s guitarist Steve Cropper. The song features mimicked seagull whistles and sounds of the waves crashing on the shore.
