question: "Down in the Valley" was covered by Otis Redding and originally written and performed by which singer?
answer: Solomon Burke
context: Title: Otis Blue/Otis Redding Sings Soul
  Passage: Otis Blue/Otis Redding Sings Soul, or simply Otis Blue, released September 15, 1965 on Stax Records, is the third studio album by soul singer Otis Redding.  The album mainly consists of cover songs by popular R&B and soul artists, and, bar one track, was recorded in a 24-hour period over July 9/10 1965 at the Stax Recording Studios in Memphis, Tennessee.  "Otis Blue" was critically acclaimed upon release and became one of Redding's most successful albums; it reached number 6 on the UK Albums Chart, and was his first to reach the top spot of the "Billboard" R&B chart.  Furthermore, it produced three popular singles, all charting at least in the top 50 on both the "Billboard" R&B and the "Billboard" Hot 100 chart.  It is considered by many critics to be Redding's first fully realized album.
  Title: Dreams to Remember: The Otis Redding Anthology
  Passage: Dreams to Remember: The Otis Redding Anthology is a 1998 compilation album by American soul singer-songwriter Otis Redding.  Advertised as a stopgap between the greatest hits album "Very Best Of" and the boxset "Otis!  The Definitive Otis Redding", this two-disc album offers most of Redding's greatest hits, a few album tracks and 5 live recordings taken from The Monterey International Pop Festival.  In his review for Allmusic, Stephen Thomas Erlewine states that while the music on the album is superb, it tries to be both a best of and a box set and so fails at both.
  Title: Down in the Valley (Solomon Burke song)
  Passage: "Down in the Valley" is a 1962 R&B song written by Bert Berns and Solomon Burke and originally recorded by Solomon Burke.  It was released on Atlantic as a B-side to "I'm Hanging Up My Heart For You".  It was covered by Otis Redding on his album "Otis Blue".  Burke's original version is a classic example of early country soul with booming vocals.
  Title: The Immortal Otis Redding
  Passage: The Immortal Otis Redding is a posthumous studio album by American soul recording artist Otis Redding, released in June 1968 by Atco Records.  It compiles 11 songs recorded by Redding in a three-week stretch of sessions that concluded days prior to his death in December 1967.  "The Happy Song (Dum-Dum)" was the only song previously released, having been a single in April 1968.  "The Immortal Otis Redding" featured four charting singles including "The Happy Song", "I've Got Dreams to Remember", "Amen", and "Hard to Handle".
  Title: Otis Redding
  Passage: Otis Ray Redding Jr. (September 9, 1941 – December 10, 1967) was an American singer, songwriter, record producer, arranger, and talent scout.  He is considered one of the greatest singers in the history of American popular music and a seminal artist in soul music and rhythm and blues.  Redding's style of singing gained inspiration from the gospel music that preceded the genre.  His singing style influenced many other soul artists of the 1960s, such as James Carr and Freddie Jackson.  (Woodstra and Elewine) During his lifetime, his recordings were produced by Stax Records, based in Memphis, Tennessee.
  Title: Mr. Pitiful
  Passage: "Mr. Pitiful" is a song written by Otis Redding and Steve Cropper and included on the 1965 album "The Great Otis Redding Sings Soul Ballads".
  Title: Otis! The Definitive Otis Redding
  Passage: Otis!  The Definitive Otis Redding is a 1993 four compact disc compilation album by American soul singer-songwriter Otis Redding.  The first three discs focus on studio material recorded for Stax records.  These recordings are all original mono single or LP mixes.  Three pre-Stax recordings and a demo recorded at Muscle Shoals are also included.  The fourth disc, labeled "The Ultimate Live Otis Redding Show" was compiled from various live sources in an attempt to gather "the best version" of every song Otis ever recorded live and is mixed in stereo.  The 100-page booklet includes testimonials from musicians and individuals from Redding's life, essays, a photo album, track listings, discographies, personnel and recording information.
  Title: Hard to Handle (song)
  Passage: "Hard to Handle" is a 1968 song written by American soul music star Otis Redding along with Al Bell and Allen Jones.  Originally recorded by Redding, it saw wide release soon after the singer's sudden death in 1967, being on the album "The Immortal Otis Redding".  Redding's version reached #38 on the Billboard R&B charts and #51 on the pop charts.
  Title: The History of Otis Redding
  Passage: The History of Otis Redding is the first of numerous compilations of Otis Redding songs, featuring hits from 1962 to early 1967.  Released one month prior to Redding's death in December 1967, it was the final album (and only compilation album) issued during his lifetime.
  Title: The Great Otis Redding Sings Soul Ballads
  Passage: The Great Otis Redding Sings Soul Ballads, simply referred to as Soul Ballads or Sings Soul Ballads, is the second studio album by American soul singer-songwriter Otis Redding, released in 1965.  The album was one of the first issued by Volt Records, a sub-label of Stax Records, and Redding's first on the new label.  Like Redding's debut "Pain in My Heart", "Soul Ballads" features both soul classics and originals written by Redding and other Stax Records recording artists.  The recording sessions took place at the Stax studios in Memphis.  The album features a stereo mixer made by engineer Tom Dowd, replacing the early mono mixer.
citations: Down in the Valley (Solomon Burke song) Otis Redding