Song:Tramp
Album:Otis! The Definitive Otis Redding
Otis Redding's hilarious duet of Lowell Fulson's Tramp with Carla Thomas was one of his biggest hits and it gives me a chance to talk about Carla Thomas. They were the two top singers at Stax Records. The idea to put them together likely was inspired by the success of Marvin Gaye & Kim Weston at Motown. Otis & Carla had success as solo artist. Her hits included Let Me Be Good To You and B-A-B-Y. Fulson had a hit with his own version of Tramp in 1965. So Stax decided to do put Otis & Carla together on the 1967 album King & Queen. As usual, Otis worked with Booker T & The MGs on the album. The verbal sparring between the two was pretty funny and Tramp reached #2 on the R & B charts and #26 on the pop charts. Their version of Eddie Floyd's Knock On Wood did just as well. King & Queen is a short album so I don't recommended it but I do highly recommend Rhino's 4CD box set Otis!. Of course everyone knows that Otis Redding died in a tragic plane crash in 1967 but Carla Thomas is still around and released the CD Bohemian Cavern for the revived Stax label in 2007. It doesn't look like Otis Redding & Carla Thomas ever performed Tramp live so here's a fan video for the song.
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