Otis Redding was soul, but Otis Redding was country, too. That was a point on which he always insisted, and that was the way others saw him. His strength was his simplicity, even if the simplicity was hard-won. The basis for his music was sincerity, not spectacular showmanship; he was at heart a stand-up singer whose power came from his ability to inspire...

It was seven years ago this June that I was standing above the River Seine, not far from Notre Dame Cathedral, frustratingly shuffling through boxes of used books sold by vendors lining the sidewalk. Just as I was about to give up and walk away, one of the merchants asked if I was shopping for myself or someone else. “For someone else,” I answered in...