This September, Otis Redding's album masterwork Otis Blue: Otis Redding Sings Soul celebrates its 50th anniversary.  To mark the occasion, Rhino will reissue its out-of-print 2008 expanded edition on September 18; then, on October 30, the label will compile Redding's original albums into a new box set.

A testament to Redding's power to reinvent a song, Otis Blue primarily features his interpretations of familiar melodies - plus three choice originals.  The album, an R&B chart-topper, found Redding supported by the cream of the Stax crop, including Booker T and the MG's, Isaac Hayes and the Mar-Keys horns.  The supreme soul man tackled the catalogues of Smokey Robinson (Temptations hit "My Girl"), Sam Cooke ("Wonderful World" and "A Change is Gonna Come"), B.B. King ("Rock Me Baby"), Solomon Burke ("Down in the Valley") and even Redding disciples The Rolling Stones ("Satisfaction").  For the album's self-penned original material, Redding introduced "Respect," soon to be powerfully associated with Aretha Franklin, as well as "I've Been Loving You Too Long" which he co-wrote with Jerry Butler.  A No. 21 Pop/No. 2 R&B hit, it would almost immediately be covered by the Stones.  The third original song on Otis Blue is the opening track "Ole Man Trouble," also heard as the B-side of "Respect."  The 2-CD Collectors Edition of Otis Blue presents the mono and stereo mixes of the album, plus alternates, previously unreleased mixes, and selections from Live at the Whisky a Go Go and Live in Europe.

This reissue is tied into a campaign to discover the identity of the woman on the album cover.  Rhino explains in its press release: "The photo was a stock image licensed for use on the cover, which was standard at the time. Recently, the photographer, Peter Sahula, told Stax Museum archivist Tim Sampson that 'I'm almost sure this is Dagmar [Dreger], but I can't find any others from that shooting, and her face is in shadow. So it's hard for me even to be sure...' Sahula further went on to explain that if it wasn't Dagmar, it was almost certainly Nico, the enigmatic singer for The Velvet Underground, who was also an occasional model for Mr. Sahula's shoots. Mr. Sahula has no record of the shoot, and there is no further information in the Stax Archives. In an effort to solve this mystery once and for all, it is now being put to the fans to help Rhino, The Estate of Otis Redding, and the public to find Dagmar. Using a combination of Otis Redding's Facebook reach and other online efforts, it is hoped that the worldwide online community can find Ms. Dreger to confirm if it is she on the cover of the album or not. Join the search by following @OtisRedding on Facebook or Twitter, and contribute information with the hashtag #FindDagmar."

The reissue of Otis Blue will be followed on October 30 by the release of the new box set Soul Manifesto 1964-1970.  This 12-CD box set includes the eight live and studio albums recorded by the Stax superstar between 1964 and 1967 as well as four posthumously-released albums.  The box contains the following albums in their original track listings:

Otis Redding, Soul Manifesto 1964-1970 (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.)

• Pain In My Heart (1964)
• The Great Otis Redding Sings Soul Ballads (1965)
• Otis Blue: Otis Redding Sings Soul (1965)
• The Soul Album(1966)
• Complete & Unbelievable: The Otis Redding Dictionary Of Soul (1966)
• King & Queen - with Carla Thomas (1967)
• Live In Europe (1967)
• The Dock Of The Bay (1968)
• The Immortal Otis Redding (1968)
• In Person At The Whisky A Go Go (1968)
• Love Man (1969)
• Tell The Truth (1970)

The Collectors Edition of Otis Blue arrives on September 18 and can be pre-ordered at the links below!

Otis Redding, Otis Blue: Otis Redding Sings Soul - Collectors Edition (Rhino 0349798215, 2008 - reissued 2015) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.)

CD 1: Mono Album and Bonus Tracks

1. "Ole Man Trouble"
2. "Respect"
3. "Change Gonna Come"
4. "Down in the Valley"
5. "I've Been Loving You Too Long"
6. "Shake"
7. "My Girl"
8. "Wonderful World"
9. "Rock Me Baby"
10. "Satisfaction"
11. "You Don't Miss Your Water"
12. "I've Been Loving You Too Long" (Previously unreleased / Mono)
13. "I'm Depending on You" (Bonus track)
14. "Respect" (Previously unreleased / Mono)
15. "Ole Man Trouble" (Previously unreleased / Mono)
16. "Any Ole Way"
17. "Shake" (Live 1967, Stereo Mix of Single Version)
18. "Ole Man Trouble" (Live at the Whisky a Go Go)
19. "Respect" (Live at the Whisky a Go Go)
20. "I've Been Loving You Too Long" (Live at the Whisky a Go Go)
21. "Satisfaction" (Live at the Whisky a Go Go)
22. "I'm Depending on You" (Live at the Whisky a Go Go)
23. "Any Ole Way" (Live at the Whisky a Go Go)

CD 2: Stereo Album and Bonus Tracks

1. "Ole Man Trouble"
2. "Respect"
3. "Change Gonna Come"
4. "Down in the Valley"
5. "I've Been Loving You Too Long"
6. "Shake"
7. "My Girl"
8. "Wonderful World"
9. "Rock Me Baby"
10. "Satisfaction"
11. "You Don't Miss Your Water"
12. "Respect" (1967 version)
13. "I've Been Loving You Too Long" (Live in Europe)
14. "My Girl" (Live in Europe)
15. "Shake" (Live in Europe)
16. "Satisfaction" ( Live in Europe)
17. "Respect" (Live in Europe)