Saxaphonist, keyboardist, songwriter and producer Booker T Jones of Booker T and The MGs was born today in 1944 in Memphis, TN. Jones was one of the creators of The Memphis Sound and is featured on countless Soul and Blues hits from Stax Records, including Sam and Dave`s Soul Man, Hold on, I`m Comin, and hits by Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett, Rufus and Carla Thomas, and Albert King, among others. He co-wrote the Blues classic Born Under a Bad Sign. His band had several solo instrumental hits, including Green Onions, and Groovin` Booker T. Jones was born in Memphis, Tennessee, on November 11, 1944. He was named in honor of his father, Booker T. Jones, Sr., who was named in honor of Booker T. Washington, the educator. Booker T. Jones, Sr. was a science teacher at the school, providing the family with a relatively stable, lower-middle-class milieu.[1] Jones was a prodigy, playing the oboe, saxophone, trombone, bass, and piano at school and organ at church. He attended Booker T. Washington High School, the alma mater of Rufus Thomas and shared the hallowed halls with future stars like Isaac Hayess writing partner David Porter; saxophonist Andrew Love of The Memphis Horns; soul singer/songwriter William Bell and Earth, Wind, & Fires Maurice White. Joness first entry into professional music came at age sixteen, when he played baritone saxophone on Satellite (soon to be Stax) Records first hit, Cause I Love You, by Rufus Thomas and Carla Thomas. Willie Mitchell had also hired him for his band where he started on sax and moved to bass later. It was here that he met Al Jackson, Jr., who he brought to Stax.[2] Simultaneously, he formed a combo with Maurice White, and David Porter, where Jones played guitar.[1] While hanging around the Satellite Record Shop run by Estelle Axton, co-owner of Satellite Records with her brother Jim Stewart, Jones met record clerk Steve Cropper, who would become one of the MGs when the group formed in 1962. Besides Jones on organ and Cropper on guitar, Booker T. and the MGs featured Lewie Steinberg on bass guitar and Al Jackson, Jr. on drums (Donald Duck Dunn eventually replacing Steinberg). While still in high school, Jones co-wrote the groups classic instrumental Green Onions, which became a hit in 1962. Bob Altshuler wrote the sleeve notes on the first Booker T. & the M.G.s album released by Stax Records in 1962 and also called Green Onions: [His] musical talents became apparent at a very early age. By the time he entered high school, Booker was already a semi-professional, and quickly recognized as the most talented musician in his school. He was appointed director of the school band for four years, and in addition, organized the school dance orchestra which played for proms throughout the Mid-South. In the classroom, he concentrated on the studies of music theory and harmony. ... Bookers multiple activities earned him a coveted honour, that of being listed in the students Whos Who of American High Schools. Bookers first instrument was the string bass, but he soon switched to the organ. Booker came to the attention of record executive Jim Stewart in Memphis, and while still in high school, he worked as a staff musician for Stax Records, appearing as sideman on many recording dates for that label. It became obvious that one day Booker would be ready to record under his own name and several months later Bookers first recording session was set. Over the next few years, Jones divided his time between studying classical music composition, composing and transposition at Indiana University, playing with the MGs on the weekends back in Memphis,[3] serving as a session musician with other Stax acts, and writing songs that would become classics. He wrote, with Eddie Floyd, Ive Never Found a Girl (To Love Me Like You Do), Otis Reddings I Love You More Than Words Can Say, and, with William Bell, bluesman Albert Kings Born Under a Bad Sign (later popularized by the cover version recorded by the British power trio Cream). In 1970, Jones moved to California and stopped playing sessions for Stax, after becoming frustrated with Staxs treatment of the MGs as employees rather than musicians. Even though Jones was given the title of Vice President at Stax before leaving, as he put it, There were titles given (to us) but we didnt actually make the decisions.[4] While still under contract to Stax, he appeared on Stephen Stills eponymous album (1970). The 1971 album, Melting Pot would be the last Booker T. & the MGs album issued on Stax. Making the charts as a solo artist in 1981 with I Want You, he produced Rita Coolidge, Bill Witherss debut album Just As I Am (on which he also played several instruments), and Willie Nelsons album Stardust. He has also lent his trademark keyboards to artists ranging in genre from Ray Charles to Neil Young. On June 18, 1985 Booker married Nanine Warhurst. They have three children together, Olivia, Cicely, and Teddy. All total they have a family of eight children, including Booker T. III, Lonnie, Matthew, Brian, and Michael. On March 1, 1995 Booker T. & the MGs won their first Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance for Cruisin. Jones still plays with Booker T. & the MGs and his own Booker T. Jones Band. Bookers current touring group includes Vernon Ice Black (guitar), Darian Gray (drums), and Melvin Brannon (bass). Jones was inducted into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992, and was honored with a Grammy Award for lifetime achievement on February 11, 2007.[5] In 2007, Jones was inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville. In 2009 he released a new solo album, Potato Hole, recorded with the Drive By Truckers,[6] and featuring Neil Young. He performed at the Bonnaroo Festival with Drive By Truckers on June 6, 2009, with a set including most tracks from Potato Hole as well as some Truckers tracks. On January 31, 2010, Potato Hole won the Best Instrumental Album award at the 52nd Grammy Awards. He is featured on the new Rancid album, Let The Dominoes Fall, playing a Hammond B-3 on the track Up To No Good. Jones also played his B-3 on the track If It Wasnt For Bad from the Elton John and Leon Russell collaboration album titled The Union. The track was nominated at 53rd Annual Grammy Awards for Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals. In 2011, Jones released The Road from Memphis. The backing band included Questlove (drums), Captain Kirk Douglas (guitar) and Owen Biddle (bass) from The Roots as well as former Motown guitarist Dennis Coffey and percussionist Stewart Killen. The album features vocals by Yim Yames, Matt Berninger, Lou Reed, Sharon Jones and Booker T. himself, as well as lyrics contributed by his daughter/manager Liv Jones. On February 12, 2012 The Road from Memphis won at the 54th Grammy Awards for Best Pop Instrumental Album. Jones holds a total of 4 Grammy Awards. Jones received an honorary doctorate degree from Indiana Universitys Jacobs School of Music at the 2012 undergraduate commencement exercises on Saturday, May 5, 2012. He had originally attended Indiana University in the 1960s, even after having recorded hits for Stax Records. Jones was featured on organ for singer Kelly Hogan on Hogans 2013 release on Anti- records, I Like to Keep Myself in Pain. In June 2013, Jones released his 10th album, Sound The Alarm, on Stax Records. It features guest artists Anthony Hamilton, Raphael Saadiq, Jay James, Mayer Hawthorne, Estelle, Vintage Trouble, Luke James, and Bookers son Ted Jones.[7
Posted on: Thu, 11 Dec 2014 14:37:23 +0000
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