Booker T. & the M.G.'s 165847 225963664 2008-07-16T06:05:40Z 99.254.220.44 /* Singles */ {{Refimprove|date=June 2008}} {{For|other people known as "Booker T."|Booker T}} {{Infobox musical artist |Name = Booker T. & the M.G.'s |Img = MGs Live.jpg |Img_capt = Booker T. & the M.G.'s live in Tunica, Mississippi, 2002 |Img_size = |Background = group_or_band |Birth_name = |Alias = |Born = |Died = |Origin = [[Memphis, TN]], [[United States|U.S.]] |Genre = [[Memphis soul]], [[Southern soul]], [[Instrumental rock]] |Years_active = 1962&ndash;1971, 1977, 1994&ndash;present |Label = [[Atlantic Records|Atlantic]], [[Stax]] |Associated_acts = |URL = [http://www.bookert.com/ www.bookert.com] |Current_members = [[Booker T. Jones]]<br>[[Donald "Duck" Dunn]]<br>[[Steve Cropper]]<br>[[Steve Potts (drummer)|Steve Potts]] |Past_members = [[Lewie Steinberg]]<br>[[Al Jackson, Jr.]] }} '''Booker T. & the M.G.'s''' is an [[instrumental]] [[soul music|soul]] band popular in the 1960s and 1970s. They are most commonly associated with [[Stax Records]] and are often placed in the subgenre of [[Memphis soul]]. They were also one of the first [[racial integration|racially-integrated]] bands in popular music.<ref> ''Racial integration'' http://www.reasontorock.com/elements/liberation.html</ref> They are probably best known for their 1962 hit [[instrumental rock|instrumental]] "[[Green Onions]]" and for being members of the [[house band]] for many Stax/Volt performers.<ref>''Association with Stax'' http://www.discogs.com/artist/Booker+T+&+The+MG's</ref> As originators of the unique Stax sound, the group was one of the most prolific, respected, and imitated of their era. By the mid-1960s, bands on both sides of the Atlantic were trying to sound like Booker T. & the M.G.'s.<ref>''Booker T & MGs prominent in 60s-70s'' http://www.history-of-rock.com/booker_t_and_the_mgs.htm</ref> Original members of the group were [[Booker T. Jones]] (organ, piano), [[Steve Cropper]] (guitar), [[Lewie Steinberg]] (bass), and [[Al Jackson|Al Jackson Jr.]] (drums). [[Donald "Duck" Dunn]] replaced Steinberg on bass in 1965, and has played with the group ever since. [[Carson Whitsett]] was the group's keyboard player during a brief 1973 reunion (when the temporarily Booker-less band was known simply as The MG's). Following the 1975 death of Al Jackson Jr., drummers [[Willie Hall (drummer)|Willie Hall]], [[Anton Fig]], [[Steve Jordan]] and [[Steve Potts (drummer)|Steve Potts]] have joined the group for later reunion efforts.<ref>''Members of the group through the years'' http://www.history-of-rock.com/booker_t_and_the_mgs.htm</ref> The exact origin of the band's name is a matter of dispute. Booker T. Jones has stated that it was Jackson who named the group after its youngest member. "M.G." is supposed by many to refer to "Memphis Group," not the [[MG (car)|sports car]] of the same name.<ref> ''Origin of band name declared as Memphis Group'' http://www.funkydrummer.com/JPpages/ajbio.html</ref> However, musician and record producer [[Chips Moman]], who was active in Stax Records when the band was formed, claims that they were named after his car, and that it was only after he left the label that Stax's publicity department declared that "M.G." stood for "Memphis Group". To lend some credibility to this story, Moman had played with Booker T. Jones in an earlier Stax backing group named the Triumphs, also after his [[Triumph Motor Company|car]].<ref>{{cite book | last=Guralnick | first=Peter | date=1986 (edition 2002) | title=Sweet Soul Music | isbn =978-1-84195-240-6 | place=Edinburgh | publisher=Canongate | pages=p. 128}} </ref> ==History== ===The first hit: "Green Onions" (1962)=== In the summer of 1962, seventeen-year-old keyboardist Booker T. Jones, twenty-year-old guitarist [[Steve Cropper]], bass player [[Lewie Steinberg]], and [[Al Jackson]], a drummer making his debut with the company, were in the Memphis studio to back up former [[Sun Records]] star [[Billy Lee Riley]]. During downtime, the four started playing around with a bluesy little organ ditty reminiscent of [[Ray Charles]]. [[Jim Stewart (music)|Jim Stewart]], the president of [[Stax Records]], liked what he heard and hit the "record" button. He liked the finished product enough to want to release it.<ref>''Studio work'' http://www.musicianguide.com/biographies/1608000217/Booker-T-Jones.html</ref> Cropper remembered a riff that Jones had come up with weeks earlier and before long, they had a second song. Stewart wanted to release the single with the first song, titled "Behave Yourself", as the A-side and the second song as the B-side. [[Steve Cropper]] and radio [[disc jockey]]s thought otherwise; soon, [[Stax Records|Stax]] released Booker T. & the M.G.'s' "Green Onions" backed with "Behave Yourself". It went to number one on the [[R&B]] charts and number three on the Pop charts and is now considered one of the most important [[riffs]] in [[Rock music|rock]] history. It is featured in countless [[movies]]/[[trailers]] including a pivotal scene in the motion picture [[American Graffiti]] and on [[TV]] every year. They soon after released an all-instrumental album entitled ''[[Green Onions (album)|Green Onions]]''.<ref>''Album release, Green Onions'' http://www.musicianguide.com/biographies/1608000217/Booker-T-Jones.html</ref> ===As members of the Stax "house band"=== Instrumental singles and albums would continue to be issued by Booker T. & The M.G.'s throughout the 1960s. However, although a successful recording combo in their own right, the bulk of the work done by the musicians in the band during this era was as the core of the ''de facto'' house band at Stax Records.<ref>''House band at Stax'' http://www.discogs.com/artist/Booker+T+&+The+MG's</ref> Members of Booker T. & The M.G.'s (often, but not always, performing as a unit) performed as the studio backing band for [[Otis Redding]], [[Sam & Dave]], [[Albert King]], [[Johnnie Taylor]], [[Eddie Floyd]], [[The Staple Singers]], [[Wilson Pickett]], and many others in the 1960s.<ref>''Linked to Otis Redding, Sam & Dave etc.'' http://www.discogs.com/artist/Booker+T+&+The+MG's</ref> They played on and produced hundreds of records, including classics like ''[[Walking the Dog]]'', ''[[Hold On (I'm Comin')]]'' (on which the multi-instrumentalist Jones played [[tuba]] over Donald "Duck" Dunn's bass line), ''[[Soul Man]]'', ''[[Who's Making Love]]'', ''[[I've Been Loving You Too Long (To Stop Now)]]'', and ''[[Try a Little Tenderness]]'', among others. They are thought to have defined [[Soul music]] &mdash; especially "[[Southern Soul]]" &mdash; where "the groove" was most important. Though it's often assumed that Booker T. Jones played on all the above session work, in the mid-1960s Jones was often studying music full-time at [[Indiana University]]. [[Stax]] writer/producer [[Isaac Hayes]] usually stepped in on the occasions when Jones was unavailable for session work, and on several sessions Jones and Hayes played together with one on organ, the other on piano. However, Jones played on all the records credited to "Booker T. & The M.G.'s", and Hayes was never an official member of the group. Individual session credits notwithstanding, what's indisputable is that the Stax house band (Cropper, Jackson, Jones, and Steinberg, along with Cropper's [[Mar-Keys]] bandmate, bassist Donald "Duck" Dunn; keyboardist [[Isaac Hayes]]; and various [[wind instrument|horn]] players) would set a standard for soul music. Where the sign outside of [[Detroit]]'s [[pop music|pop]]-soaked [[Motown Records]] aptly read "[[Hitsville U.S.A.]]", the marquee outside of the movie theatre where Stax was located proclaimed "Soulsville U.S.A.". ===Later success: 1965–1971=== Booker T. & The M.G.'s consistently issued singles from 1963 to 1965, but only a few made the charts, and none were as successful as "Green Onions". Bassist [[Lewie Steinberg]], who was from a family of musicians, recorded with the band through 1965, including their second album 1965's ''Soul Dressing''. Where the ''Green Onions'' album was cover-filled, every song but one on ''Soul Dressing'' was an original. Nevertheless, the chemistry &mdash; musically and personally &mdash; wasn't quite right. Steinberg stepped aside, and [[Donald "Duck" Dunn]] (who was already part of Stax's house band) became the group's full-time bassist. After a period of commercial decline, Booker T. & The M.G.'s returned to the top 40 with the 1967 instrumental "Hip Hug-Her". Surprisingly, "Hip Hug-Her" was the first single released with Jones on a [[Hammond B-3]] organ, the instrument he is most known for playing. They also had a substantial hit with their cover of [[The Rascals]]' "[[Groovin']]". Also in 1967, they joined the now famed [[Stax]] European tour. Dubbed "Hit the Road, Stax!" they performed and backed up the label's stars. In June of that year, they, along with [[Otis Redding]], appeared at the [[Monterey Pop Festival]], alongside performers like [[Jimi Hendrix]], [[Janis Joplin]], [[The Who]], and [[Jefferson Airplane]]. They were also later invited to play [[Woodstock Festival|Woodstock]], but drummer [[Al Jackson]] was worried about the helicopter needed to deliver them to the site, and so they decided not to play. The ''Hip Hug-Her'' album was followed by ''Doin' Our Thing'' and ''[[Soul Limbo]]''. The song "Soul Limbo", featuring marimba by [[Terry Manning]], was a big hit (later used by the [[BBC]] as their theme for [[Test Match Special]] [[cricket]] coverage on both TV and radio), as was their version of "Hang 'em High". In 1969, the band scored their second biggest hit with "Time is Tight", from the [[soundtrack]] to the movie ''[[Up Tight!]]'', scored by Jones,<ref>''song "Time is Tight" soundtrack'' http://imdb.com/title/tt0063748 Up Tight!</ref> which reached #6 on the Billboard pop charts. In 1969, [[Duck Dunn]] and [[Booker T. Jones]], in particular, had become enamored with [[The Beatles]], especially their work on ''[[Abbey Road (album)|Abbey Road]]''. The appreciation was mutual, as The Beatles had patterned a lot of what they did on the M.G.'s. [[John Lennon]] was a huge [[Stax]] fan who fondly called the group, "Book a Table and the Maitre D's." [[Paul McCartney]], like Dunn, played bass melodically, without straying from the rhythm or the groove. It was obvious through each of their playing that they admired one another. And as the story goes, after being locked away in the Memphis studio, when the company embarked on the "Hit the Road, Stax!" tour of 1967, [[The Beatles]] sent limos to the airport and bent down to kiss [[Steve Cropper]]'s ring. The M.G.'s had no idea, until then, of the impact they were having on the rest of the world. Lennon was quoted as saying he always wanted to write an instrumental for the M.G.'s. In 1970, Lennon's wish was granted, in a manner of speaking, as Jones, Dunn, and Jackson recorded ''[[McLemore Avenue]]'', named for the street where [[Stax]] was located. Jones later taught Cropper, who had not heard [[Abbey Road (album)|''Abbey Road'']], what to play. They covered thirteen of ''Abbey Road'''s songs, condensing twelve of them into three medleys, and included a [[cover version]] of [[George Harrison]]'s "[[Something]]". The album's cover, is indeed an intentional [[pastiche]] of The Beatles' ''Abbey Road'' "street crossing" album cover. They followed up in 1971 with what would be their last Stax single, "Melting Pot", and their last Stax album, also called ''[[Melting Pot (Booker T album)|Melting Pot]]''. "Melting Pot"'s repetitive [[groove]]-oriented drumming, loping bass line, and super-tight rhythm guitar made it an underground hit popular in New York City [[block parties]]. The song has often been sampled by [[rappers]] and [[techno]] [[DJ]]s. Before the ''Melting Pot'' album was recorded, Booker T. Jones had left Stax. In fact, part of the album was recorded in New York, not the Stax studio. Steve Cropper had also become unhappy with business affairs at Stax and soon left. Dunn and Jackson remained on and did [[session]] and production work. Jackson, who had been in [[Hi Records]] producer [[Willie Mitchell (musician)|Willie Mitchell]]'s band, played on and wrote many of [[Al Green]]'s biggest hits. ===1970s Reunions=== ====1973==== In 1973, Dunn and [[Stax]] [[session]] guitarist [[Bobby Manuel]] recruited B-3 organ phenom [[Carson Whitsett]] to be part of a band that was to back up a promising new Stax artist named Stefan Anderson. Their drummer was not working out, so they brought in Al Jackson. The project, however, did not ultimately yield any results, but the rehearsals were promising, prompting Jackson and Dunn to reform The M.G.'s. (This version of the band featured Whitsett in the place of Jones, so was billed "The MG's" rather than "Booker T. & The M.G.'s".) The 1973 album entitled ''[[The MG's (album)|The MG's]]'', with Manuel and Whitsett replacing Cropper and Jones, was not commercially successful, though it was critically well received. [[Carson Whitsett]] would go on to back up [[Bobby "Blue" Bland]], [[Little Milton]], and [[Kathy Mattea]], and have his songs recorded by the likes of [[Johnnie Taylor]], [[Solomon Burke]], [[B.B. King]], [[Etta James]], [[Conway Twitty]], and [[Lorrie Morgan]]. [[Bobby Manuel]] would become a staple of the Memphis music scene and later founded HighStacks Records in a tribute to Stax and [[Hi Records]]. ====1975==== The MG's project was not commercially successful, but various band members thought that there might be interest in a full-fledged reunion. After a promising meeting in late September 1975, Jones and Cropper (who were now living in Los Angeles) and Jackson and Dunn (still in Memphis), decided to give each other three months to finish up all of their projects. They would then devote three years to what would be renamed ''Booker T. Jones & the Memphis Group''. Nine days later (October 1), Al Jackson, the man Cropper would remember as "the greatest drummer to ever walk the earth", was murdered in his home. ====1977==== The remaining three members eventually regrouped under the classic name Booker T. & The MGs. Bringing in drummer [[Willie Hall]] from [[Al Green]]'s backing band as an official member, the group recorded the album ''[[Universal Language (Booker T album)|Universal Language]]'' for [[Asylum Records]] in 1977. The album didn't meet with either commercial or critical success, and the band once again dissolved. Over the next decade, Cropper, Dunn and Jones remained very active, producing, writing, and playing with other artists. All three joined [[The Band]]'s drummer [[Levon Helm]] as part of his [[RCO All-Stars]]. In 1977, Cropper, Dunn and Willie Hall famously became part of [[The Blues Brothers|The Blues Brothers Band]], appearing on the number one album ''[[Briefcase Full of Blues]]'', and in the 1980 movie ''[[The Blues Brothers (film)|The Blues Brothers]]'' starring [[Dan Aykroyd]] and [[John Belushi]]. Cropper, Dunn and Hall later reprised their roles in ''[[Blues Brothers 2000]]''. ===1980s and 1990s=== In 1986, former co-owner of [[Atlantic Records]] [[Jerry Wexler]] asked the group to be the [[house band]] for [[Atlantic Records]]' 40th anniversary celebration. The night before the gig, Booker T. Jones came down with food poisoning, so [[Paul Shaffer]] stepped in at the last minute. However, the rehearsals (with Jones, Cropper, Dunn, and drummer [[Anton Fig]] of Shaffer's "World's Most Dangerous Band", featured on [[Late Night with David Letterman]]) went so well that the group decided to play some dates together. Over the next few years, they played together occasionally. In 1992, [[Bob Dylan]] asked them to again serve as house band, this time at the [[The 30th Anniversary Concert Celebration|concert]] commemorating his thirty years in the music business. There, they backed up Dylan, [[Stevie Wonder]], [[Johnny Cash]], [[Eric Clapton]], and even [[Pearl Jam]]'s [[Eddie Vedder]]. While there, [[Neil Young]] asked the group to back him up on his world tour the following year. Also in 1992, Booker T. & The M.G.'s were inducted into the [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]].<ref>''Rock and Roll Hall of Fame'' http://www.discogs.com/artist/Booker+T+&+The+MG's</ref> In 1994, the group recorded its first album in 17 years, called ''[[That's The Way It Should Be]]''. [[Steve Jordan]] was the featured drummer on most tracks. In 1995, when the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame opened its museum in Cleveland, Ohio, the M.G.'s served as the [[house band]] for the opening ceremonies, playing behind [[Aretha Franklin]], [[Sam Moore]], [[John Fogerty]], and [[Al Green]], as well as performing themselves. ===Into the 21st Century=== [[Booker T. Jones]], [[Donald "Duck" Dunn]], and [[Steve Cropper]] moved into the 21st century as active as ever. Jones, Dunn, and [[Al Jackson]]'s cousin, drummer [[Steve Potts]], backed Neil Young on his 2002 album ''Are You Passionate?''. Cropper, along with [[Isaac Hayes]] and [[Sam Moore]], welcomed [[Stax]] president [[Jim Stewart (music)|Jim Stewart]] into the [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]] in 2002. Cropper and Hayes were later inducted in [[The Songwriters Hall of Fame]]. Booker T. & The M.G.'s, usually with Steve Potts on drums, still play select dates. They have been called the most influential stylists in modern American music. In 2004, [[Rolling Stone Magazine]] ranked the group #93 on their list of the [http://www.rollingstone.com/news/coverstory/the_immortals 100 Greatest Artists of All Time],<ref>{{cite web| title = The Immortals: The First Fifty| work = Rolling Stone Issue 946| publisher = Rolling Stone| url =http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/5939214/the_immortals_the_first_fifty}}</ref> and in 2007, the group received the [[Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.soulsvilleusa.com/press-media/detail.asp?id=56 |title=Booker T. & the MGs, Estelle Axton to be honored at 2007 Grammys |accessdate=2007-06-06 }}</ref> ==Discography== ===Singles=== {| class="wikitable" ! width="50" rowspan="2"| US Release Date ! width="120" rowspan="2"| A-Side ! width="120 rowspan="2"| B-Side ! width="50" rowspan="2"| Label ! colspan="3"| Chart Positions |- ! width="60"| <small>[[Billboard Hot 100|US Hot 100]]</small> ! width="60"| <small>US R&B ! width="60"| <small>[[UK]]</small> ! width="120"| Notes |- |08/1962 |'''Green Onions |Behave Yourself |Volt V-102 !#3 !#1 ! |Also issued as Stax S-127. <br>See also 1979 UK reissue. |- |01/1963 |'''Jellybread |Aw' Mercy | Stax S-131 !#82 ! ! | |- |02/1963 |Home Grown |Burnt Biscuits | Stax S-134 ! ! ! |Also issued with "Big Train" as B-side. |- |06/1963 |'''Chinese Checkers |Plum Nellie |Stax S-137 !#78 !* ! | |- |12/1963 |'''Mo' Onions |Fannie Mae |Stax S-142 !#97 !* ! |Also issued with "Tic-Tac-Toe" as B-side. |- |07/1964 |'''Soul Dressing |MG Party |Stax S-153 !#95 !* ! | |- |11/1964 |Can't Be Still |Terrible Thing |Stax S-161 ! !* ! | |- |04/1965 |'''Boot-Leg |Outrage |Stax S-169 !#58 !#10 ! | |- |11/1965 |Be My Lady |Red Beans and Rice |Stax S-182 ! ! ! | |- |07/1966 |'''My Sweet Potato | |Stax S-196 !#85 !#18 ! | |- | | |'''Booker-Loo |Stax S-196 ! !#37 ! | |- |12/1966 |'''Jingle Bells |Winter Wonderland |Stax S-203 !#20 ! ! | |- |02/1967 |'''Hip Hug-Her |Summertime |Stax S-211 !#37 !#6 ! | |- |06/1967 |'''Groovin' | |Stax S-224 !#21 !#10 ! | |- | | |'''Slim Jenkins' Place |Stax S-224 !#70 ! ! | |- |12/1967 |Silver Bells |Winter Snow |Stax S-236 ! ! ! | |- |05/1968 |'''Soul Limbo |Heads or Tails |Stax STA-0001 !#17 ! !#30 | |- |10/1968 |'''Hang 'Em High |Over Easy |Stax STA-0013 !#9 !#35 ! | |- |02/1969 |'''Time Is Tight |Johnny, I Love You |Stax STA-0028 !#6 !#7 !#4 |"Johnny I Love You" features vocals by Booker T. Jones. |- |05/1969 |'''Mrs. Robinson | |Stax STA-0037 !#37 !#35 ! | |- | | |'''Soul Clap '69 |Stax STA-0037 ! ! !#35 | |- |07/1969 |'''Slum Baby |Meditation |Stax STA-0049 !#88 !#46 ! | |- |06/1970 |'''Something |Sunday Sermon |Stax STA-0073 !#76 ! ! | |- |02/1971 |'''Melting Pot |Kinda Easy Like |Stax STA-0082 !#45 !#21 ! | |- |1973 |Sugarcane |Blackside |Stax STA 0169 ! ! ! |Release credited to The M.G.'s |- |1973 |Neckbone |Breezy |Stax STA 0200 ! ! ! |Release credited to The M.G.'s |- |1977 |'''Sticky Stuff |Tie Stick |Asylum 45392 ! !#68 ! | |- |12/1979 |'''Green Onions | | ! ! !#7 |UK-only reissue of 1962 hit. |} '''*''' - ''Through a period between late [[1963]] and early [[1965]], [[Billboard Magazine]] did not publish an R&B singles chart.'' ===Albums=== [[Image:hiphugher.jpg|thumb|250px|''Hip Hug-Her'' by Booker T. & The M.G.s (1967) showing the two different Atlantic era Stax logos]] *1962: ''[[Green Onions (album)|Green Onions]]'' *1965: ''[[Soul Dressing]]'' *1966: ''[[And Now! (Booker T album)|And Now!]]'' *1966: ''[[In The Christmas Spirit (Booker T album)|In The Christmas Spirit]]'' *1967: ''[[Hip Hug-Her]]'' *1968: ''[[Back To Back (Booker T album)|Back To Back]]'' (live album) *1968: ''[[Doin' Our Thing]]'' *1968: ''[[Soul Limbo]]'' *1969: ''[[Uptight (Original Soundtrack)|Uptight]]'' (soundtrack) *1969: ''[[The Booker T Set]]'' *1970: ''[[McLemore Avenue]]'' *1971: ''[[Melting Pot (Booker T album)|Melting Pot]]'' *1973: ''[[The MG's (album)|The MG's]]'' (released by The MG's) *1977: ''[[Universal Language (Booker T album)|Universal Language]]'' *1994: ''[[That's The Way It Should Be]]'' ==Audio samples== {{multi-listen start}} {{multi-listen item | | filename = Green Onions.ogg | title = '''"Green Onions"''', from the album ''Green Onions'' | description = The first track from the band's debut album. The tempo, tone and technique in Green Onions make it one of the most recognized soul instrumentals of all time. |}} {{multi-listen end}} ==References== {{Reflist}} ==Sources== {{refbegin}} *''Soulsville USA: The Story of Stax Records'' '''By [[Rob Bowman]]''' {{refend}} ==External links== * [http://www.rockhall.com/hof/inductee.asp?id=69 Booker T and the M.G.s at the] [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]] * [http://www.bookert.com Booker T. Jones' official homepage] * [http://www.playitsteve.com Steve Cropper's official homepage] * [http://www.duckdunn.com Donald "Duck" Dunn official homepage] [[Category:American rhythm and blues musical groups]] [[Category:Soul musical groups]] [[Category:Funk musical groups]] [[Category:Tennessee musical groups]] [[Category:Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees‎]] [[Category:Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winners]] [[de:Booker T. & the M.G.’s]] [[fr:Booker T. & the M.G.'s]] [[it:Booker T. & the MG's]] [[pl:Booker T. and the M.G.'s]] [[pt:Booker T. & the MG's]] [[sv:Booker T. and the MG's]]