GOD'S RHTHYM SECTION:

Booker T. and the MG's: Jones Reflects on Band's Hit, 'Green Onions' (NPR, March 5, 2003)

When it comes to R&B music and what's known as the "Memphis sound," Booker T. Jones has been delivering smooth, soulful, gospel-tinged music for over 40 years. Jones experienced success early when he and his band, the MG's, reached number one with the song "Green Onions."

It was at Stax Records that he joined with other studio musicians -- guitarist Steve Cropper, bassist Lewie Steinberg and drummer Al Jackson -- to form the MGs. Jones explains the meaning of the name:

"The drummer, Al Jackson, looked and said, 'Well, why don't we call it Booker T. and the, uh...' and he looked outside and saw the MG (sports car) and said, 'MG's.' But we contacted (the company) and we wanted them to sponsor us and they wouldn't do it. So we decided that it would be Booker T. and the Memphis Group, the MG's."

When Jones was 17, Booker T. and the MG's (with Donald Dunn replacing Steinberg) released "Green Onions," which sold a million copies and climbed to number one on the R&B charts. The song was followed by six other Top 40 hits over the next decade, including "Hip Hug-Her," "Groovin" and "Hang Em' High."

By the early 1970s, the recording industry was changing, and the band split it 1971.

If you're a fan of Soul and you haven't read Sweet Soul Music: Rhythm and Blues and the Southern Dream of Freedom by Peter Guralnick, you're really missing something. It may be the best book ever written about American popular music. Posted by Orrin Judd at March 6, 2003 11:14 PM