![\"\"](\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/08\/BOOKER-T-JONES-SPOTLIGHT-May-2011.jpg\" "\\"BOOKER-T-JONES-SPOTLIGHT-May-2011\\"")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
As the house band for Memphis\u2019 legendary Stax Records throughout the \u201960s, Booker T. and the MG\u2019s\u2014organist Booker T. Jones, guitarist Steve Cropper, bassist Donald \u201cDuck\u201d Dunn and drummer Al Jackson Jr.\u2014was perhaps the most prominent and influential R&B band of the era. Providing backup for such soul titans as Otis Redding, Sam and Dave, Albert King, Eddie Floyd and Carla Thomas, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees were at the heart of hundreds of era-defining recordings.<\/p>\n
For his new solo album, The Road From Memphis<\/em>, Jones has attempted to reach even farther back than those days to retrace the earliest steps of his journey. \u201cThe first stop is Indiana, where I explored classical music for four years,\u201d he says. \u201cThat was a big influence on what happened later. My foundations were formed in Memphis in so many ways, but my journey also took me to Los Angeles, New York City, Detroit and Philadelphia.\u201d<\/p>\n Jones recruited some sympathetic collaborators, including producers Ahmir \u201cQuestlove\u201d Thompson (of the Roots) and Rob Schnapf, and the team elected to go old-school with its sound.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was recorded to tape, with everyone in the same room, no digital processing,\u201d Jones says. \u201cIt\u2019s very similar to what happened at Stax 40, 50 years ago.\u201d The potent, MG\u2019s-esque collection includes guest appearances from Lou Reed, Sharon Jones and My Morning Jacket\u2019s Jim James.<\/p>\n Jones\u2019 new effort is on shelves alongside a just-released reissue of 1970\u2019s McLemore Avenue<\/em>, the classic set of Beatles covers by Booker T. and the MG\u2019s. \u201cI wanted to pay tribute to the Beatles because they were doing earth-shaking, groundbreaking things,\u201d Jones recalls of the album\u2019s motivation. \u201cThey were making music that was timeless.\u201d The group broke up a few years later, but has reconvened periodically ever since (sans Jackson, who was killed by a burglar in 1975). Jones went on to record under his own name and to produce others\u2014one of his most successful efforts being Willie Nelson\u2019s 1978 multiplatinum album of standards, Stardust<\/em>. Jones has also teamed repeatedly with Neil Young, who he calls \u201cthe<\/em> rock guitar guy.\u201d<\/p>\n As to whether there will ever be another MG\u2019s reunion, Jones won\u2019t even hazard a guess. He\u2019s too busy with the present to think about the future. \u201cI\u2019m riding this wave and not planning anything,\u201d he says. \u201cThings are falling in my lap, and I\u2019m enjoying it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2013Jeff Tamarkin<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" BOOKER T. JONES Stax\u2019s keyboard legend brings it back home to Memphis As the house band for Memphis\u2019 legendary Stax Records throughout the \u201960s, Booker T. and the MG\u2019s\u2014organist Booker T. Jones, guitarist Steve Cropper, bassist Donald \u201cDuck\u201d Dunn and drummer Al Jackson Jr.\u2014was perhaps the most prominent and influential R&B band of the era. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[6],"tags":[2422,1634,10156],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3493"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3493"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3493\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3495,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3493\/revisions\/3495"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3493"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3493"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3493"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}