Graham Sclater Musician - Author
TABITHA BOOKSTabithaBooks@tabithamusic.com
In 1964, I left the UK with an organ to play with a group in Hamburg. There weren't many instrumentals that were suited to the organ, but a year later, I bought my Hammond M102, and everything changed. On a jukebox, I heard the organ instrumental "Green Onions," and it became my signature tune. And to this day, whenever I'm asked to play with a band, I always choose to play it.
The original song was written by Booker Taliaferro Jones Jr., known musically as "Booker T," in 1961, when he was 17.
Booker T Jones was the keyboard player of the Stax Records house band, along with Al Jackson on drums, Lewie Steinberg on bass and Steve Cropper on guitar.
In 1962, they had been booked for a recording session with singer Billy Lee Riley, who failed to show up. Booker T played a piano lick he had played in clubs as a start to a jam session. For some reason, he switched to a Hammond organ in the studio, and it sounded better. Jim Stewart, the owner of Stax, had the band record "Behave Yourself" and needed a "B" side. Using a riff from Booker T's 12-bar blues bassline, the band recorded "Green Onions". Guitarist Steve Cropper used his Fender Telecaster, which became synonymous with all subsequent recordings.
Steve Cropper went to Sun Studios, where they cut the record, and then took it to a DJ at the Memphis radio station WLOK. The DJ loved it and played it immediately. And played it. "Green Onions" on air. Due to the public's positive reaction to the song, it was quickly re-released as an A-side.
Lewie Steinberg thought it was so funky that he wanted to call it 'Funky Onions,' but they thought that was too low-class, so we used 'Green Onions' instead. Surprisingly, the song is named after a cat known as Green Onions, whose way of walking inspired the riff.
The track, "Green Onions" by Booker T and the MG's, is one of the most popular R & B instrumentals of all time.
The track was initially issued on the Volt label (a subsidiary of Stax Records) as the "B" side of Behave Yourself" on VOLT102 but was quickly reissued as the "A"side on Stax 127. That year, it also appeared on the album of the same name. The Hammond organ sound on that song became a feature of the Memphis soul sound.
The track written and recorded in 1968 by Booker T. & the M.G.'s for cricket was titled "Soul Limbo". It is widely known as the theme music for the BBC's Test cricket coverage.
Booker T. Jones has also co-written classic songs like Albert King's "Born Under a Bad Sign," Otis Redding's "I Love You More Than Words Can Say," and several songs with William Bell, including "I've Never Found a Girl (To Love Me Like You Do)". He has also written numerous instrumentals for Booker T. & the M.G.'s, including "Time is Tight," which is also regularly heard on the radio.