Which soul singer recorded 'Sittin' on the Dock of the Bay'?

Which soul singer recorded “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay”? Otis Redding recorded it, co-writing the song with guitarist Steve Cropper.

Redding made the recording at Stax Studios in Memphis during two 1967 sessions. The first took place on November 22, and additional overdubs were added on December 7, just three days before Redding died in a plane crash. Cropper helped shape the spare arrangement and played the distinctive guitar part.

The song stood apart from much of Redding’s earlier Southern soul work because it used a gentler, more pop-oriented and folk-influenced sound. Redding reportedly wanted to try something different, although he considered the recording unfinished. It was released posthumously on January 8, 1968, and became the first posthumous single to reach number one on the U.S. charts.

Sam Cooke, Aretha Franklin and James Brown were also major soul artists, but none recorded the original hit version associated with this title.