An up-tempo version of Booker T. And The MG's 1962 hit song, as they would have performed it live.
Story behind the song
The first tune I ever learned to play on my bass guitar that my parents bought me for my 10th birthday.
Since then I've played it a thousand times and learned it on all the instruments.
Here goes play number one thousand and one.
Thanks for listening!
Booker T. and the MG's
Green Onions
Booker Taliaferro Jones Jr.; B3 Organ & Songwriter
Steve Cropper; Telecaster Guitar & Songwriter
Al Jackson Jr.; Drums, a Ludwig kit with a Rogers Powertone snare drum
Lewie Steinberg; Fender Jazz Bass
In summary; from an interview with guitarist Steve Cropper
The song was originally just a jam recorded in 1962, while the band was waiting for Billy Lee Riley, a well known singer, to show up.
Billy was a no-show that day, so while they were warming up on a Blues pattern, just 'jamming' and having fun, the studio engineer, Jim Stewart, thought it sounded so good, that he started the tape rolling. The band liked it, and asked Booker to add a riff he had been toying with the week before, the now famous 'Green Onions' organ riff was added. The song was put on the "B" side of their upcoming 45 single "Behave Yourself", that was engineered and cut by Steve's good friend Scotty Moore (Elvis guitarist). The song still had no name.
the next day Steve takes the demo, with the unnamed tune on the 'B' side, to Ruben Warson a disc jockey at WLOK radio in Memphis, Tennessee, during the morning commute time slot.
Ruben gave the record a spin while he was airing another tune, he then flipped to the 'B' side and after a few bars he smiled & lifted the needle, when the other tune finished, he spun-up the 2nd turntable, put the needle down, and played it on the air.. 4 times in a row!
The phones immediately lit up, and he was flooded with calls for the name of the tune & where they could buy it, neither of which he had an answer to.
Ruben looked over at Steve and said, "you better get serious!"
So they got more pressings, settled out details with Atlantic by changing the demos label to Stax.
Then they started pondering on a name for their new hit.
One of the band had mentioned after the jam, "well, that stunk like onions", but Onions burned your eyes, and that name sounded too negative to Steve, so he suggested, how about "Green Onions" which he loved on potatoes. The name stuck, and Green Onions changed to the 'A' side of the 45 release, it quickly became a resounding #1 hit for the band.
Booker T. and The MG's were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992, the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, Tennessee in 2008, the Memphis Music Hall of Fame in 2012, and the Blues Hall of Fame in 2019.