(Sittin' On) the Dock of the Bay is a song co-written and first performed by Otis Redding, with the co-writer Steve Cropper. It was released as a single in 1968. Its popularity increased after Redding died in an airplane crash not long after its release. In 1999, BMI named the song as the 6th-most performed song of the 20th century, with about six million performances.