Lone crash survivor to attend service

MADISON, Wis. -- When he left Madison in 1967, Ben Cauley was a 20-year-old in shock.

The trumpeter was the only survivor of the plane crash that killed Otis Redding and other members of his band, the Bar-Kays.

They were on their way to a show in Madison when their twin-engine aircraft plunged into Lake Monona on Dec. 10, 1967, miles from the airport. Cauley was rescued from the lake's icy waters and suffered only minor injuries.

After being released from Methodist Hospital, Cauley left town so fast that he didn't pick up his trumpet or checkbook that authorities recovered from the water.

He has never returned -- until now.

To mark the 40th anniversary of the crash, Cauley has agreed to appear at the Life of Otis Redding Memorial Celebration tonight to salute Redding's life.

Cauley, 60, said he plans to say a few words and play some songs on his trumpet. He said he will be sure to play (Sittin' on) The Dock of the Bay, which was recorded just three days before the crash and later topped the charts.

"I knew one day I would come back," he said in a telephone interview from Memphis, Tenn., where he lives. "There were a number of times that I thought about it but didn't have the strength. I'm coming this time."

In the interview, Cauley recalled how he was sleeping during the flight and woke up when he heard the airplane shaking. He unbuckled his seat belt and grabbed a seat cushion as the plane plunged into the lake and broke into pieces.

He clung to the cushion for about 20 minutes in the freezing water until a rescue boat arrived. It was too late for the others, whom Cauley heard crying for help. Investigators never pinpointed a cause for the crash.

The coroner visited the survivor's hospital bed to break the news that the 26-year-old Redding, an assistant, four band members and the pilot had died. Most of them were found still buckled into their seats.

"I was in shock," he said. "That day changed our lives."

Cauley went on to have a successful career in music after the Bar-Kays regrouped. He later played with Isaac Hayes, the Doobie Brothers and others.

The tribute will take place at the Monona Terrace convention center overlooking the lake, near the crash site.

A few hundred people are expected to attend the event. Mayor Dave Cieslewicz will read a statement from Gov. Jim Doyle declaring Dec. 10 "Otis Redding Day," and Madison musicians will play his music.

Cauley said he considered Redding a big brother and he thanks God for every minute they had together.

He said he feels honored by the Madison tribute and his request to return.