This September 9 marks what would've been late soul legend Otis Redding's 81st birthday, and coinciding with the milestone, the Otis Redding Foundation has organized a weekend of special events celebrating his legacy in his hometown of Macon, Georgia.

The events, which include two special tribute concerts, will also serve as fundraisers for the planned Otis Redding Center for the Arts, an 11,000-square-foot facility that will help support the foundation's "mission to empower, enrich, and motivate youth through education programs involving music, writing, and instrumentation."

The weekend festivities will kick off on September 9 with a groundbreaking ceremony for the Center of the Arts. The building will house spaces for musical collaboration and rehearsal, learning rooms and a performance stage for the students.

That night, a concert dubbed An Evening of Respect will be held at Macon's Grand Opera House that will include performances by country star Mickey Guyton and Grammy-winning jazz/R&B pianist Robert Glasper.

Then, on Saturday, September 10, another concert, called The Big "O" Homecoming Show, will take place at Macon's the Capitol Theatre, which will be headlined by the husband-and-wife Americana duo The War and Treaty, and will feature performances by several other artists. The event is inspired by the Home Coming Show and Dance concerts Otis held in Macon throughout the 1960s that would include a lineup of Redding's contemporaries and peers.

"Our family is elated to celebrate my dad's legacy in person for the first time since the pandemic," says Otis' daughter, and Otis Redding Foundation executive, Karla Redding-Andrews. "We are happy to bring the weekend-long celebration back to Macon and thank the countless patrons who have supported the Otis Redding Foundation since my mother established it in 2007."

For more details, visit OtisReddingFoundation.org.

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