1966
TRY A LITTLE TENDERNESS * OTIS REDDING * VOLT 141 * USA
The song was written by Harry Woods, Jimmy Campbell & Reg Connelly, and first recorded by either Ruth Etting or Bing Crosby in 1933. Since that time it has become a popular standard recorded by many; Lil' Miss Cornshucks" a.k.a. Mildred Cummings cut a fine, fine, version on Coral #65090, released in 1952; and as with most, if not all, standards it has become so familiar so as to be recognisable without the lyrics like the instrumental version by Tab Smith for Chess in 1958 (see below).
The song as sung by both Bing Crosby and Otis Redding, has, surprisingly enough, been used as the basis for a paper 'Exploring the Meaning in Music' delivered at York University Toronto, Canada, in 1998, by musicologist Rob Bowman.
TRY A LITTLE TENDERNESS * TAB SMITH * ARGO 5304 * USA