Booker T. Jones

Born: 1944-11-12

Booker Taliaferro Jones Jr. (born November 12, 1944) is an American musician, songwriter, record producer, and arranger, best known as the frontman of the band Booker T. & the M.G.'s. He has also worked in the studios with many well-known artists of the 20th and 21st centuries, earning him a Grammy Award for lifetime achievement. Booker T. Jones was born in Memphis, Tennessee, on November 12, 1944. He was named after his father, Booker T. Jones Sr., who was named in honor of Booker T. Washington, the educator. Booker T. Jones, Sr. was a science teacher at Memphis High School, providing the family with a relatively stable, lower-middle-class lifestyle. Jones was musically a child prodigy, playing the oboe, saxophone, trombone, double bass, and piano at school and organ at church. Jones attended Booker T. Washington High School, the alma mater of Rufus Thomas, and contributed 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 & Fire's singer/songwriter Maurice White. Jones's entry into professional music came at the age of 16 when he played baritone saxophone on Satellite (soon to be Stax) Records' first hit, "Cause I Love You", by Carla and Rufus Thomas. Willie Mitchell hired Jones for his band, in which Jones started on sax and later moved to bass. It was here that he met Al Jackson Jr., whom he brought to Stax. Simultaneously, Jones formed a combo with Maurice White and David Porter, in which he played guitar. On March 1, 1995, Booker T. & the MGs won their first Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance for the song "Cruisin'". Jones still plays with the MGs and his own small combo called the Booker T. Jones Band. His current touring group includes Vernon "Ice" Black (guitar), Darian Gray (drums), and Melvin Brannon (bass). 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. In 2007, Jones was also inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, Tennessee.


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A Star Is Born

as The Speedway
Released: 1976-12-17

Drunken, has-been rock star John Norman Howard falls in love with unknown singer Esther Hoffman...

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Monterey Pop

as Self - Booker T. & the MG's (uncredited)
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Willie Nelson 90: Long Story Short

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Released: 2023-06-11

A star-studded concert celebrating Willie Nelson's 90th birthday, recorded live at The Hollywood...

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The Soul of Stax

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"Philip Priestley's acclaimed film charts the history of Stax Records, the influential soul and...

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Shake! Otis at Monterey

as Self - Booker T. & the MG's
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Renowned documentary filmmaker D.A. Pennebaker captures Otis Redding in his ascendancy, singing...

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Songwriter

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Released: 1984-10-14

Doc Jenkins may be one of country music's most beloved stars, but his private life is a wreck....

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Eric Clapton's Crossroads Guitar Festival 2013

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Released: 2013-11-19

Captured across two nights at Madison Square Garden, the Crossroads Guitar Festival offers a...

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Otis Redding: Soul Ambassador

as uncredited
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Profile of the soul singer, documenting his childhood and career, including unseen home movies...

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Stax/Volt Revue Live In Norway 1967

as uncredited
Released: 2007-10-01

Considered by soul music fans to be one of the greatest lineups of artists ever to grace the...

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Live From the Artists Den

as Self
First aired: 2009-02-01

A concert showcase that features music artists performing in unique settings, such as museums,...

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