Booker T & The MG's - Green Onions

Year Released: 1962
Genre: R&B / Soul / Instrumental Funk

Description:
Originally released on Stax Records (Volt 107), “Green Onions” stands as one of the most instantly recognizable instrumental soul recordings ever made. Led by Booker T. Jones on Hammond M3 organ, with Steve Cropper on guitar, Donald “Duck” Dunn on bass, and Al Jackson Jr. on drums, the tune’s raw, minor-key groove and slippery organ riff helped define the early Memphis sound.

The record became a huge hit on both R&B and pop charts and went on to soundtrack countless films and television shows including American Graffiti, The Sandlot, Get Shorty, and Quadrophenia. Its tight 12-bar blues structure and unmistakable riff have also made it a magnet for hip-hop producers — sampled or interpolated by artists such as 2 Live Crew (“Coolin’”) and Booker T’s own appearances with modern funk outfits.

“Green Onions” remains a cornerstone of instrumental funk: sparse, swampy, and endlessly cool — the record that put Stax on the map and gave organ-driven soul its eternal groove