Toppa Top 10 Tuesdays: Top 10 Reggae Otis Tributes

Words by Eddie STATS Houghton

If you read the internet, you have probably come across this song “Otis” by Kanye West and Jay-Z (AKA The Throne) which has got everybody talking about what the loop of “Try A Little Tenderness” that is the song’s spinal column means for Otis Redding’s legacy. And if you read LargeUp, you know that anything rappers can do, somebody in Jamaica has probably done already. And better. Without further ado we present the Toppa Top 10 reggae covers of Otis, who along with Curtis Mayfield and his idol Sam Cooke was hugely popular in Jamaica–and a powerful influence on the evolution of rocksteady and the fledgeling genre of reggae.

10. Beres Hammond, “Dock of the Bay”/Live Tribute

9. The Heptones, “Dock of the Bay”

8. Prince Buster, “Try a Little Tenderness”

7.  Beres Hammond, “These Arms of Mine”

6. Dave Barker/The Upsetters, “Mr. Pitiful”

5. The Upsetters, “Hard to Handle”

4. Ken Parker, “How Strong”

3. Ken Boothe, “Try A Little Tenderness”

2. Jacob Miller, “Dock of the Bay”

1. Toots & The Maytals, “Dreams To Remember”