Booker T. Jones
Booker T. Jones (born November 12, 1944 in Memphis , Tennessee ) is an American songwriter , producer and multi-instrumentalist . He became known as the front man for Booker T. & the MG's .
Life
Jones played oboe , saxophone , trombone and piano in school as a child . At the age of 16 he played the baritone saxophone for Satellite Records . During this time he met Steve Cropper , who became a member of Booker T. & the MG's when they formed in 1962. While in high school, Jones wrote the hit Green Onions . The move to Stax Records followed .
In the following years he wrote the song I've Never Found a Girl (To Love Me Like You Do) with Eddie Floyd , Otis Reddings I Love You More Than Words Can Say and with William Bell for Albert King Born Under a Bad Sign . In 1970 Jones moved to California and ended working with Stax over a dispute over the band's treatment as a staff member rather than a musician. In 1971 Melting Pot was released , the last album in collaboration with Stax.
Jones produced three albums with his then wife, Priscilla Coolidge , sister of Rita Coolidge , under the name Booker T. & Priscilla and also had success as a solo artist with the song I Want You in 1981 . He also produced Bill Withers' debut album Just as I Am and Willie Nelson's album Stardust .
Booker T. Jones played with Ray Charles , Neil Young and Natalie Merchant . He also still plays with Booker T. & the MG's and his own Booker T. Jones Band. Jones was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992 and together with The MG's received a Grammy Award for Lifetime Achievement on February 11, 2007 .
In 2009 his solo album Potato Hole was released , which brought him to the US charts for the first time without The MG's or Priscilla Coolidge. He also won a solo Grammy in the category Best Instrumental Album - Pop . In 2009 Jones also worked with the American punk rock band Rancid, where he played the Hammond B3 organ in the song Up to No Good . Another Grammy for Best Instrumental Album - Pop for The Road from Memphis followed in 2011 .
Jones ex-wife Priscilla Coolidge was shot by her husband Michael Seibert in 2014, who subsequently committed suicide.
Discography
Studio albums
| year | Title music label |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, music label , placements, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 UK
|
 US
|
R&B
|
|||
| 1971 | Booker T. & Priscilla A&M 3504 |
- |
US106 (6 weeks) US |
- |
First published: August 1971
with Priscilla Jones, double album producers: Booker T. Jones, Priscilla Jones |
| 1972 | Home Grown A&M 4351 |
- |
US190 (4 weeks) US |
- |
First published: July 1972
with Priscilla Jones Producers: Booker T. Jones, Priscilla Jones |
| 1973 | Chronicles A&M 4413 |
- | - |
R&B49 (5 weeks) R&B |
First published: November 1973
with Priscilla Jones Producers: Booker T. Jones, Priscilla Jones |
| 2009 | Potato Hole Anti- 86948 |
- |
US135 (2 weeks) US |
R&B52 (5 weeks) R&B |
First published: April 21, 2009
Grammy (Best Instrumental Album, Pop) Producers: Booker T. Jones, Rob Schnapf |
| 2011 | The Road from Memphis Anti- 87101 |
- | - |
R&B20 (7 weeks) R&B |
|
| 2013 | Sound the alarm Stax 34121 |
UK86 (1 week) UK |
- |
RB30 (6 weeks) RB |
First published: June 25, 2013
Producers: Booker T. Jones, Avila Brothers |
More studio albums
- 1974: Evergreen ( Epic 33143)
- 1978: Try and Love Again (A&M 4720)
- 1980: The Best of You (A&M 4798)
- 1981: I Want You (A&M 4874)
- 1989: The Runaway ( MCA 6282)
Singles
| year | Title album |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, album , rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
R&B
|
Dance
|
|||
| 1981 | I want you, I want you |
R&B35 (14 weeks) R&B |
- |
First published: October 1981
Authors: Booker T. Jones, Michael Stokes |
| 1982 | Don't Stop Your Love, I Want You |
- |
Dance11 (17 weeks) Dance |
First published: January 1982
Authors: Booker T. Jones, Michael Stokes |
More singles
- 1971: She (with Priscilla Jones; release: September)
- 1973: The Crippled Crow / Wild Fox (with Priscilla Jones)
- 1974: Evergreen (release: September)
- 1974: Mama Stewart
- 1975: Life Is Funky
- 1978: Knockin 'on Heaven's Door
- 1978: Let's Go Dancing (release: November)
- 1980: Cookie
- 1980: The Best of You (release: May)
- 1980: We Could Stay Together (with Rita Coolidge ; release: September)
- 1982: You Got Me Spinning
- 1989: The Cool Dude
- 1991: Don't Keep Me Waiting (G'Race feat. Booker T)
- 2007: What a Wonderful World (with Jolie Holland )
- 2009: Warped Sister
- 2011: Representing Memphis (feat. Matt Berninger and Sharon Jones )
- 2011: Progress
literature
- Jones, Booker T. (2019). Time Is Thight: My Life, Note by Note. Little, Brown and Company, Boston.
- Ware, Vron (2001). Out of Whiteness: Color, Politics, and Culture. University of Chicago Press.
- Bowman, Rob (1997). Soulsville USA: The Story of Stax Records. Music Sales Group.
swell
- ↑ Like his father, Booker Taliaferro Jones Sr., Booker Taliaferro Jones Jr. received his first name in honor of the civil rights activist, social reformer and educator Booker T. Washington .
- ↑ Archive link ( Memento of the original from June 3, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , accessed May 31, 2015
- ↑ a b Chart sources: Billboard 200 R&B albums (from 1998)
- ^ Joel Whitburn : Top R&B Albums 1965–1998, ISBN 0-89820-134-9
- ^ Joel Whitburn : Hot R&B Songs 1942–2010: 6th Edition, ISBN 978-0-89820-186-4
- ^ Joel Whitburn : Hot Dance / Disco 1974-2003, ISBN 978-0-89820-156-7
Web links
- Official website
- Booker T. Jones at Allmusic (English)
- Booker T. Jones at Discogs (English)
- Booker T. Jones at 45cat.com
- Booker T at 45cat.com
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Jones, Booker T. |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | November 12, 1944 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Memphis , Tennessee , USA |