It was Otis Redding who was first to record the Steve Cropper produced "Hard To Handle" (Jones - Isbell - Redding) in 1967 and released as a single from the posthumous LP "The Immortal Otis Redding". The 45 reached number thirty-eight on the R&B and fifty-one on the Billboard pop chart. Among the many acknowledgments given Otis: The Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Georgia Music Hall of Fame, Songwriters Hall of Fame.

The Black Crowes (vocalist Chris Robinson, Johnny Colt, Jeff Cease, Steve Gorman and Rich Robinson) 1990 cover of "Hard To Handle" in on their multi-platinum debut album "Shake Your Money Maker". This time the song hit the top of the Billboard Album Rock Tracks and peaked at twenty-six on the Top One Hundred.