Time Is Tight

“Time Is Tight,” released in 1969, was the sixth Top 40 hit for Booker T. & the MG’s – not a bad record as for as instrumental groups go. The heyday of the rock instrumental was from 1956 (with Bill Doggett’s “Honky Tonk”)...

Green Onions

Here’s why Al Jackson was such an influence among drummers, from critic Jon Landau: “Al Jackson kept perfect time, played with extraordinary simplicity, was exceptionally powerful, got the toughest sound, and left the vocalists with the maximum of space in...

Hip Hug-Her

“Hip Hug-Her” was the second hit for Booker T. & the MG’s, the first being “Green Onions,” their biggest and most enduring hit. This Memphis band was made up of session men who played behind many of the R&B and soul hits of the...