We continue our look at the music of 50 years ago…
Most of you will know Rock & Roll Hall of Famers Booker T & The MGS for their 1962 hit “Green Onions”…you can hear it and see the band in this 1967 live clip…
But the foursome of Memphis studio cats was much more than one tune….As the house band for Stax Records they backed up soul legends like Wilson Pickett and Otis Redding. They played their own set at Monterey and also backed up Redding …and by 1971 they had released 10 albums of their own stuff including a 1966 Christmas release. Through them all you knew you were going to get a steady does of R & B, soul and flat out funk from one of the coolest quartets around. Some will say the rhythm section of Al Jackson Jr (who played on alot of Al Green records at Hi Records) and Duck Dunn is one of the best in music history…add on Booker T’s funky organ and the spritely guitar licks of Steve Cropper’s Telecaster…and you’ve got a tasty Memphis stew that goes down smooth.
Early 1971 saw the release of “Melting Pot”…the last LP featuring the original lineup. It included all of things you might expect…tight rhythm and lots of funky fills from the organ and guitar. Plus they spread out on the tunes with lengthier hypnotic jams that later became useful for the budding hip-hop crowd that sampled them. Some of it even hints at the coming fusion-jazz break out of the 70’s. I’m not saying this is fusion…but you can hear it from spots on this record. The album was recorded in New York after Jones had a falling out at Stax which led him to leave the label. The title track was released as a single and made it to 45 on the charts back when instrumentals could still become hits.
So, put on some headphones, lean back and let the groove take you to another place and time…enjoy
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