Booker T. Jones (born November 12, 1944) is a multi-instrumentalist, songwr… Read Full Bio ↴Booker T. Jones (born November 12, 1944) is a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, record producer and arranger, best known for fronting the band, Booker T. & the M.G.'s.
Born in South Memphis, Tennessee, Jones was a child prodigy, playing the oboe, saxophone, trombone, and piano at school and serving as organist at his church. He attended Booker T. Washington High School, the alma mater of Rufus Thomas and shared the hallowed halls with future stars like Isaac Hayes's writing partner David Porter; saxophonist Andrew Love of The Memphis Horns; soul singer/songwriter William Bell and Earth, Wind, and Fire's Maurice White.
Jones's first entry into professional music came at age sixteen, when he played baritone saxophone on Satellite (soon to be Stax) Records' first hit, "Cause I Love You", by Rufus Thomas and Carla Thomas.
While hanging around the Satellite Record Shop run by Estelle Axton, co-owner of Satellite Records with her brother Jim Stewart, Jones met record clerk Steve Cropper, who would become one of the MGs when the group formed in 1962. Besides Jones on organ and Cropper on guitar, Booker T. and the MGs featured Lewie Steinberg on bass guitar and Al Jackson, Jr. on drums (Donald "Duck" Dunn eventually replacing Steinberg). While still in high school, Jones wrote the group's instrumental "Green Onions", which not only became a hit in 1962, but remains an enduring classic more than 40 years later.
Over the next few years, Jones would divide his time between studying classical music composition, composing and transposition at Indiana University, playing with the MGs on the weekends back in Memphis[1], serving as a session musician with other Stax acts, and writing songs that would become classics. He wrote, with Eddie Floyd, "I've Never Found a Girl (To Love Me Like You Do)", Otis Redding's "I Love You More Than Words Can Say", and, with William Bell, Albert King's "Born Under a Bad Sign." The latter would later be popularized in the cover version by power trio Cream.
In 1970, Jones moved to California and stopped playing sessions for Stax, after becoming frustrated with Stax's treatment of the MGs as employees rather than musicians. While still under contract to Stax, he appeared on Stephen Stills' eponymous album (1970). The 1971 album, Melting Pot would be the last Booker T. & the MGs album issued on Stax.
Jones produced three albums with his former wife, under the name Booker T. & Priscilla, as well as making the charts as a solo artist in 1981 with "I Want You". He produced Priscilla's sister Rita Coolidge, Bill Withers's debut album Just As I Am (on which he also played several instruments), and Willie Nelson's album Stardust. He has also lent his trademark keyboards to everyone from Ray Charles to Neil Young to Natalie Merchant. Jones currently still plays with Booker T. & the MGs and his own Booker T. Jones Band.
Jones was inducted into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992, and was honored with a Grammy award for lifetime achievement on February 11, 2007.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Born in South Memphis, Tennessee, Jones was a child prodigy, playing the oboe, saxophone, trombone, and piano at school and serving as organist at his church. He attended Booker T. Washington High School, the alma mater of Rufus Thomas and shared the hallowed halls with future stars like Isaac Hayes's writing partner David Porter; saxophonist Andrew Love of The Memphis Horns; soul singer/songwriter William Bell and Earth, Wind, and Fire's Maurice White.
Jones's first entry into professional music came at age sixteen, when he played baritone saxophone on Satellite (soon to be Stax) Records' first hit, "Cause I Love You", by Rufus Thomas and Carla Thomas.
While hanging around the Satellite Record Shop run by Estelle Axton, co-owner of Satellite Records with her brother Jim Stewart, Jones met record clerk Steve Cropper, who would become one of the MGs when the group formed in 1962. Besides Jones on organ and Cropper on guitar, Booker T. and the MGs featured Lewie Steinberg on bass guitar and Al Jackson, Jr. on drums (Donald "Duck" Dunn eventually replacing Steinberg). While still in high school, Jones wrote the group's instrumental "Green Onions", which not only became a hit in 1962, but remains an enduring classic more than 40 years later.
Over the next few years, Jones would divide his time between studying classical music composition, composing and transposition at Indiana University, playing with the MGs on the weekends back in Memphis[1], serving as a session musician with other Stax acts, and writing songs that would become classics. He wrote, with Eddie Floyd, "I've Never Found a Girl (To Love Me Like You Do)", Otis Redding's "I Love You More Than Words Can Say", and, with William Bell, Albert King's "Born Under a Bad Sign." The latter would later be popularized in the cover version by power trio Cream.
In 1970, Jones moved to California and stopped playing sessions for Stax, after becoming frustrated with Stax's treatment of the MGs as employees rather than musicians. While still under contract to Stax, he appeared on Stephen Stills' eponymous album (1970). The 1971 album, Melting Pot would be the last Booker T. & the MGs album issued on Stax.
Jones produced three albums with his former wife, under the name Booker T. & Priscilla, as well as making the charts as a solo artist in 1981 with "I Want You". He produced Priscilla's sister Rita Coolidge, Bill Withers's debut album Just As I Am (on which he also played several instruments), and Willie Nelson's album Stardust. He has also lent his trademark keyboards to everyone from Ray Charles to Neil Young to Natalie Merchant. Jones currently still plays with Booker T. & the MGs and his own Booker T. Jones Band.
Jones was inducted into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992, and was honored with a Grammy award for lifetime achievement on February 11, 2007.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Native New Yorker
Booker T. Jones Lyrics
We have lyrics for 'Native New Yorker' by these artists:
Black Box New York style, style, style, style New York City New York C…
Esther Phillips New York girl, ooh, ooh, ooh Runnin' pretty, New York City…
Funky Town Runnin′ pretty, New York City girl Twenty-five, thirty-five …
Odyssey Runnin' pretty, New York City girl (twenty-five, thirty-five…
Odyssey Odyssey Runnin' pretty, New York City girl (twenty-five, thirty-five…
Odysseyæ´€ Native New Yorker Odyssey New York girl, ooh, ooh, ooh …
Phillips Esther New York girl, ooh, ooh, ooh Runnin' pretty, New York City…
The Odyssey Runnin' pretty, New York City girl (twenty-five, thirty-five…
We have lyrics for these tracks by Booker T. Jones:
All Over the Place Step into my room and take your clothes off Power down…
Back Home Its never soon enough but we're never really ready, We wanna…
Broken Heart Little broken hearts of the night Slowly picking up their kn…
Can You Dig It? It's the Booker-man, y'all Can you dig it Yeah, yeah, that's…
Can't Wait I feel everything you do Kicking as I talk to you Kisses…
Cause I Love You You got the socket And I got the plug I am the…
Don't Stop Your Love Don't Stop Your Love Booker T. Jones Your... love... was ma…
Dont Stop Your Love don't give your love away wait for me, i will come…
Down In Memphis Doin' it in the heat Learning how to walk the beat Laying…
Evergreen I've been looking for a Georgia peach Dangling from a northe…
Feel Good I'm not inna box I'm not inna box I'm not inna Inna box…
Flamingo Dan and I like Las Vegas, never seen the sea Where…
Fun Have fuuuuuun! Poor minded people can’t decode my linguistic…
Hey Ya One, two, three! My baby don't mess around 'Cause she love…
I Came To Love You You got the socket And I got the plug I am the…
I Want You I want you, I want you I want you any way…
Just a Friend Just friends, lovers no more Just friends, but not like befo…
Life Is Funky Life is Life is Life is Life is I am I am I am I am Life is…
Love Is Strange It's very clear, our love is here to stay Not for…
Pound It Out Every time I see your face, boy When I'm close to…
Precious Lord PRECIOUS LORD Thomas c. Dorsey & Kelly Garner Chorus: Preci…
Progress If not today Maybe tomorrow If not tomorrow Maybe in a week …
Red House There's a red house Over yonder, that's where my baby stays …
Representing Memphis I love it on the Southside They know how to deep…
Stand Stand Up Yeah If you're ready to get live, you feeling…
Stardust And now the purple dusk of twilight time Steals across the…
The Best Of You I'm so glad to have you back within these arms…
The Bronx The Bronx Get's it's flavor from the streets It's flavor fro…
The Fox She walks through the corn leadin' down to the river Her…
The Seed I told you it wouldn't be easy To look me in…
What a Wonderful World I see trees of green, red roses too I see…
Why Me Why me why me Why do you look out for me Oh…
You Got Me Spinnin' You've got a friend in me You've got a friend in…
Your Love Is No Love I want you to breathe me Let me be your air Let…
The lyrics are frequently found in the comments by searching or by filtering for lyric videos
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Kevan Dalzell
That was my actual fave album, that year!!!! Instant classic! Uncut loved it, and Mojo though it weak.... Saw this tour! Booker (with new band) payed almost everything, plus a few Stax nuggets!
chromedreamer
Neil Young on guitar!