Recordings: Epitaph for Otis

Otis Redding was one of the better exponents of that exhilarating American blend of the blues, gospel and pop:soul music. In France he became recognized as a historic figure in rhythm and blues, and in Britain he was voted the top male singer of 1967. But at the time of his death at 26 in a plane crash last December, he had still to catch on big in his own country.

Now, in a burst of discovery, the U.S. record-buying public is making it up to Redding for a side he made only 21 weeks before his...