In 1965, Steinberg was replaced by Donald "Duck" Dunn, who played with the group until his death in 2012. Al Jackson, Jr. was murdered in 1975, after which Dunn, Cropper and Jones reunited on numerous occasions using various drummers, including Willie Hall, Anton Fig, Steve Jordan and Steve Potts.
The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992, the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, Tennessee, in 2008, and the Memphis Music Hall of Fame in 2012.
Having two white members (Cropper and Dunn), Booker T. & the M.G.'s was one of the first racially integrated rock groups, at a time when soul music and the Memphis music scene in particular were generally considered the preserve of black culture.
Formed in 1962 in Memphis, Tennessee, Booker T and the MG's ("MG" officially stood for "Memphis Group", and is usually punctuated correctly on LP covers as "M.G.") became one of the most important soul outfits in the history of music. They were indispensable as the house band for Stax Records, backing many rising artists (Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, Albert King, and many others), but it was the MGs themselves that put Stax on the map with such singles as "Green Onions", which reached number three on the Pop Charts, and "Hip Hug-Her", which reached number six on the Pop Charts.
The group consisted of four core members: Booker T. Jones on keyboards and organ (as well as many other instruments), Steve Cropper on guitar, Al Jackson Jr. on drums, and Donald "Duck" Dunn on bass. Cropper and Dunn were originally in the first house band for Stax, The Mar-Keys, and later were part of the Blues Brothers, both in the band and in the movie. Various others added horns and other instruments, and a young Isaac Hayes covered the keys on at least one session.
Not only were they blazing new trails with their funky instrumental soul music, but also with their integration of races, as two of them were white (Donald "Duck" Dunn and Steve Cropper) and two of them were black (Booker T. Jones and Al Jackson), which was very unusual for 1962.
In 2007 the documentary Respect Yourself: The Stax Records Story was released, with interviews and footage in which Booker T. Jones, Steve Cropper, Wayne Jackson and Donald Duck Dunn are interviewed about the history and successes of Stax, among many others Stax' people.
Donald Duck Dunn died in his sleep at age 70 on Sunday, May 13, 2012.
Lewie Steinberg died on July 21, 2016 in Memphis at the age of 82.
(2) As the house band at Stax Records in Memphis, Tennessee, Booker T. & the MG's may have been the single greatest factor in the lasting value of that label's soul music, not to mention Southern soul as a whole. Their tight, impeccable grooves could be heard on classic hits by Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett, Carla Thomas, Albert King, and Sam & Dave, and for that reason alone, they would deserve their subsequent induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. But in addition to their formidable skills as a house band, on their own they were one of the top instrumental outfits of the rock era, cutting classics like "Green Onions," "Time Is Tight," and "Hang 'em High."
The anchors of the Booker T. sound were Steve Cropper, whose slicing, economic riffs influenced many other guitar players, and Booker T. Jones himself, who provided much of the groove with his floating organ lines. In 1960, Jones started working as a session man for Stax, where he met Cropper. Cropper had been in the Mar-Keys, famous for the 1961 instrumental hit "Last Night," which laid out the prototype for much of the MG's (and indeed Memphis soul's) sound with its organ-sax-guitar combo. With the addition of drummer Al Jackson and bassist Lewis Steinberg, they became Booker T. & the MG's. Within a couple years, Steinberg was replaced permanently by Donald "Duck" Dunn, who, like Cropper, had also played with the Mar-Keys.
The band's first and biggest hit, "Green Onions" (a number three single in 1962), came about by accident. Jamming in the studio while fruitlessly waiting for Billy Lee Riley to show up for a session, they came up with a classic minor-key, bluesy soul instrumental, distinguished by its nervous organ bounce and ferocious bursts of guitar. For the next five years, they'd have trouble recapturing its commercial success, though the standard of their records remained fairly high, and Stax's dependence upon them as the house band ensured a decent living.
In the late '60s, the MG's really hit their stride with "Hip Hug-Her," "Groovin'," "Soul-Limbo," "Hang 'em High," and "Time Is Tight," all of which were Top 40 charters between 1967 and 1969. Since the presence of black and white musicians made them a biracial band, the MG's set a somewhat under-appreciated example of both how integrated, self-contained bands could succeed, and how both black and white musicians could play funky soul music. As is the case with most instrumental rock bands, their singles contained their best material, and the band's music is now best appreciated via anthologies. But their albums were far from inconsequential, and occasionally veered into ambitious territory (they did an entire instrumental version of the Beatles' Abbey Road, which they titled McLemore Avenue in honor of the location of Stax's studios).
Though they'd become established stars by the end of the decade, the group began finding it difficult to work together, not so much because of personnel problems, but because of logistical difficulties. Cropper was often playing sessions in Los Angeles, and Jones was often absent from Memphis while he finished his music studies at Indiana University. The band decided to break up in 1971, but were working on a reunion album in 1975 when Al Jackson was tragically shot and killed in his Memphis home by a burglar. The remaining members were active as recording artists and session musicians in the following years, with Cropper and Dunn joining the Blues Brothers for a stint in the late '70s.
The MG's got back into the spotlight in early 1992, when they were the house band for an extravagant Bob Dylan tribute at Madison Square Garden. More significantly, in 1993 they served as the backup band for a Neil Young tour, one which brought both them (and Young) high critical marks. The following year, they released a comeback album, arranged in much the style of their vintage '60s sides, which proved that their instrumental skills were still intact. Like most such efforts, though, it ultimately failed to re-create the spark and spontaneity it so obviously wanted to achieve. Jones continued with his own musical output through the following decades, often lending his instrumental skills to other artists and occasionally issuing his own albums, such as the 2009 solo effort Potato Hole. Bassist Dunn, intermittently active with festival and tour appearances after the turn of the millennium, had been touring with Cropper and Eddie Floyd in Japan during May 2012 when he died in his sleep in a Tokyo hotel. ~ Richie Unterberger, Rovi
You Can't Do That
Booker T. & the MG's Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I don't want ya love baby I just want the truth
Please don't break my heart I know that's what you gon do
I know that's what you gon do
Hit me after nine baby ima slide through
I don't want ya love baby I just want the truth
Please don't break my heart I know that's what you gon do
I know that's what you gon do
Left me broken
I gave her my heart and then she ripped it open
Now I'm coping
I feel hopeless
This house don't feel like home girl I don't know where home is
I don't know where home is
Don't know where we going
Either swim or drown and I'm drowning in that ocean
I'm taking these pills hoping one day I'm overdosing
Cause I don't wanna live with all the pain baby you know this
One day ima be the greatest
But that don't mean shit if I can not call you baby
I can never hate you only hate you if you make me
And all I do is think about you swear it drive me crazy
Girl don't blame me I tried to change
Swear for you I won't stay the same
Heartbroken you're not the one to blame
Cause all them other bitches is the reason I'm this way
Yeah
And I can't say you did me wrong cause babygirl you never did
Swear you deserve better yea you never need to stress again
I'm still popping all these perkys taking these shits like they medicine
I was tryna get some diamonds on ya necklace
The only one I wanted yes you should've never stressed a bitch
Now look at me stressed again
I don't wanna stress again
Cause I hate that stressing shit
Damn
Lately I just been feeling so lonely
I just need somebody to come hold me
Really feel like ain't nobody know me
Everybody hated on me lowkey
Lately I just been feeling so lonely
I just need somebody to come hold me
Really feel like ain't nobody know me
Everybody hated on me lowkey
Hit me after nine baby ima slide through
I don't want ya love baby I just want the truth
Please don't break my heart I know that's what you gon do
I know that's what you gon do
Hit me after nine baby ima slide through
I don't want ya love baby I just want the truth
Please don't break my heart I know that's what you gon do
I know that's what you gon do
Hit me after nine baby ima slide through
I don't want ya love baby I just want the truth
Please don't break my heart I know that's what you gon do
I know that's what you gon do
Hit me after nine baby ima slide through
I don't want ya love baby I just want the truth
Please don't break my heart I know that's what you gon do
I know that's what you gon do
Hit me after nine baby ima slide through
I don't want ya love baby I just want the truth
Please don't break my heart I know that's what you gon do
I know that's what you gon do
The lyrics to Booker T. & the MG's's song "You Can't Do That" convey the emotions of heartbreak, betrayal, and longing for a connection. The singer expresses a desire for honesty and truth rather than superficial love. They acknowledge the pain inflicted upon them by a past relationship, feeling lost and hopeless in the aftermath. The lyrics also touch upon the struggles of fame and success, with the singer recognizing that material achievements hold no value if they can't have the person they love by their side. The song portrays a sense of loneliness and the longing for someone to understand and hold them.
Overall, the lyrics depict a complex mixture of emotions, including heartbreak, resentment, and a yearning for emotional intimacy. The singer grapples with the aftermath of a broken heart, trying to find solace in drugs and fame but ultimately realizing that what they truly desire is genuine connection and understanding.
Line by Line Meaning
Hit me after nine baby ima slide through
Contact me later in the evening and I will come over quickly
I don't want ya love baby I just want the truth
I am not interested in your affection, I only seek honesty
Please don't break my heart I know that's what you gon do
Please refrain from hurting me, I anticipate that you will
My heart frozen
My emotions are numbed and cold
Left me broken
You have left me shattered and damaged
I gave her my heart and then she ripped it open
I entrusted my heart to her, only for her to brutally expose its vulnerabilities
Now I'm coping
Now I am trying to deal with the aftermath
I feel hopeless
I am overcome with a sense of despair and lack of optimism
This house don't feel like home girl I don't know where home is
The place I reside in does not provide a sense of belonging, and I am uncertain of where my true home lies
Don't know where we going
I am unsure of the direction our relationship is heading
Either swim or drown and I'm drowning in that ocean
It is sink or swim, and I am currently overwhelmed and struggling in the vastness of my emotions
I'm taking these pills hoping one day I'm overdosing
I am consuming drugs in the hopes that one day I will accidentally consume a lethal dose and end my pain
Cause I don't wanna live with all the pain baby you know this
Because I do not wish to continue living with the constant anguish, and I believe you understand this
One day ima be the greatest
I aspire to become highly accomplished and renowned
But that don't mean shit if I can not call you baby
However, all my accomplishments will be meaningless if I cannot address you affectionately
I can never hate you only hate you if you make me
I am incapable of harboring hatred towards you unless you provoke it
And all I do is think about you swear it drive me crazy
You consume my thoughts entirely, I assure you it causes significant mental distress
Girl don't blame me I tried to change
Please do not hold me responsible, I made attempts to alter myself
Swear for you I won't stay the same
I promise that, for your sake, I will not remain unchanged
Heartbroken you're not the one to blame
Although my heart is shattered, it is not your fault
Cause all them other bitches is the reason I'm this way
It is the actions of other women that have caused me to become the way I am now
And I can't say you did me wrong cause babygirl you never did
I cannot accuse you of mistreating me, as you have never done so
Swear you deserve better yea you never need to stress again
I promise, you deserve someone superior and should never endure any more distress
I'm still popping all these perkys taking these shits like they medicine
I am still consuming these potent painkillers, treating them as if they are my medication
I was tryna get some diamonds on ya necklace
I was attempting to acquire expensive jewelry for you
The only one I wanted yes you should've never stressed a bitch
You were the only one I desired, and you should have never worried about trivial matters
Now look at me stressed again
Now observe how I am once again consumed by stress
I don't wanna stress again
I do not wish to experience stress once more
Cause I hate that stressing shit
Because I detest the feeling of being stressed
Damn
Expressing frustration or disappointment
Lately I just been feeling so lonely
Recently, I have been overwhelmed by feelings of solitude
I just need somebody to come hold me
I simply require someone to embrace and comfort me
Really feel like ain't nobody know me
Honestly, it seems as if nobody truly understands who I am
Everybody hated on me lowkey
It appears that everyone secretly harbored animosity towards me
Lyrics © DistroKid
Written by: Michael Gomez
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind