Sidewalk Baby - Music

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 read less