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...

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”)...