Booker T and the MG’s'
Johnny Marr is an English musician, songwriter, and singer (born Johnny Martin Maher) in Manchester in October 1963 and at the age of 13 formed his first band, the Paris Valentinos. He played in several bands, the most recent being Freak Party. But by early 1982, after losing their singer, Marr approached Rob Allman, the singer with White Dice. He showed little interest and instead suggested Steven Morrissey, the singer with the Nosebleeds. In May, and through a third-party it was arranged for Marr to meet Morrissey at his home. They seemed to hit it off and with Marr’s first bass player, Andy Rourke, and Mike Joyce on drums they formed the Smiths.
Within months they signed to Rough Trade Records and in May 1983 released their first single “Hand in Glove.” Now with an ever-growing fan base they recorded their first album, which was released in early 1984 and reached number two in the UK Chart. This was quickly followed by their second album, the controversial, “Meat is Murder.”
Their third album “The Queen Is Dead” was awarded the accolade by Spin magazine as being one of the greatest albums ever made. This resulted in the NME dubbing the Smiths the most important rock band of all time.
Marr's guitar sounds are instantly recognisable, with his jangly Rickenbacker and Fender Telecaster and synonymous with the Smith’s sound. Marr said, when performing with the band, he wanted to play a music which was pop. "100% of my focus was on providing interesting guitar hooks and putting some kind of space-age twist on the guitarist's role. The pop guitarist crossed with the mad professor. That's how I thought of myself."
In early 1986, Rourke was fired by the band for his use of heroin, but within weeks he was reinstated. But other problems were already looming and despite their continued success, personal differences within the band and the increasingly strained relationship between Morrissey and Marr created a huge problem.
Marr left the group in July 1987, and despite auditions to find a replacement no one was considered suitable. So, by the time their next tranche of music was released the band had long split.
One of the reasons given by Morrissey was the fact that Marr was working and recording with other artists, however, he later told Tim Samuels, a BBC journalist, that it was due to the lack of a managerial figure and business problems.
Marr's guitar playing had a massive effect on many of the Manchester bands that followed the Smiths including: John Squire - Stone Roses, Noel Gallagher - Oasis, and no doubt many more. He has since performed with numerous other bands and singers including: the Pretenders, Pet Shop Boys, collaborating with Hans Zimmer, on film soundtracks, Talking Heads. Joss Stone, Bryan Ferry and so many more.
In 2010 in a poll conducted by the BBC, Marr was voted the fourth-best guitarist of the last 30 years and Phil Alexander, editor-in-chief of Mojo described him as "arguably Britain's last great guitar stylist." In 2013, the NME, honoured Marr with its "Godlike Genius" award: "Not content with rewriting the history of music with one of the world's greatest ever bands, the Smiths, he's continued to push boundaries and evolve throughout his career, working with some of the best and most exciting artists on the planet."
Despite several attempts at reforming the Smiths it seems very unlikely.
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BY-------Graham Sclater
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.
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