Booker T. & The MG's
Formed in Memphis, Tennessee, USA in 1962 as a spin-off from the Mar-Keys, the group comprised Booker T. Jones (b. 11 December 1944, Memphis, Tennessee, USA; organ), Steve Cropper (b. 21 October 1941, Willow Spring, Missouri, USA; guitar), Lewis Steinberg (bass) and Al Jackson (b. 17 November 1945, Memphis, Tennessee, USA, d. 1 October 1975, Memphis, Tennessee, USA; drums). Green Onions, the MGs' renowned first hit, evolved out of a blues riff they had improvised while waiting to record a jingle. Its simple, smoky atmosphere, punctuated by Cropper's cutting guitar, provided the blueprint to a series of excellent records, including Jellybread, Chinese Checkers, Soul Dressing, Mo' Onions and Hip Hug-Her. Pared to the bone, this sparseness accentuated the rhythm, particularly when Steinberg was replaced by Donald 'Duck' Dunn (b. 24 November 1941, Memphis, Tennessee, USA). Their intuitive interplay became the bedrock of classic Stax, the foundation on which the label and studio sound was built. The quartet appeared on all of the company's notable releases, including In The Midnight Hour ( Wilson Pickett), Hold On I'm Comin' ( Sam And Dave) and Walkin' The Dog ( Rufus Thomas), on which Booker T. also played saxophone. Although Jones divided his time between recording and studying at Indiana University, he subsequently earned a BA in music; the MGs (Memphis Group) continued to chart consistently in their own right. Hang 'Em High (1968) and Time Is Tight (1969) were both US Top 10 singles, while as late as 1971 Melting Pot climbed into the same Top 50. The group split that year; Jones moved to California in semi-retirement, recording with his wife, Priscilla, while his three ex-colleagues remained in Memphis. In 1973 Jackson and Dunn put together a reconstituted group. Bobby Manuel and Carson Whitsett filled out the line-up, but the resultant album, THE MGS, was a disappointment. Jackson meanwhile maintained his peerless reputation, particularly with work for Al Green and Syl Johnson, but tragically in 1975 he was shot dead in his Memphis home after disturbing intruders. Cropper, who had released a solo album, WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FRIENDS in 1969, set up his TMI studio/label and temporarily seemed content with a low-key profile. He latterly rejoined Dunn, ex-Bar-Kay drummer Willie Hall and the returning Jones for UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE. Cropper and Dunn also played musicians roles in the film The Blues Brothers (1980). During the late '70s UK R&B revival, Green Onions was re-issued and became a Top 10 hit in 1979. The 1981 MGs' album, I WANT YOU, reached the R&B charts although each member still continued with his individual projects. The group did, however, complete some British concert dates in 1990.