Booker T. Jones facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Booker T. Jones
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Jones in 2009
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Booker Taliaferro Jones Jr. |
| Also known as | Booker T. |
| Born | November 12, 1944 Memphis, Tennessee, U.S. |
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| Years active | 1960–present |
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Booker Taliaferro Jones Jr. (born November 12, 1944) is a famous American musician. He is also a talented songwriter, record producer, and arranger. He is best known as the leader of the band Booker T. & the M.G.'s. Booker T. Jones has worked with many well-known artists over the years. His amazing career earned him a special Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
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Booker T. Jones's Early Life and Music
Booker T. Jones was born in Memphis, Tennessee, on November 12, 1944. He was named after his father, Booker T. Jones Sr. His father was a science teacher, which gave the family a stable life.
Booker T. was a musical child prodigy, meaning he was very talented from a young age. He played many instruments at school and church. These included the oboe, saxophone, trombone, double bass, piano, and organ. He went to Booker T. Washington High School. There, he met other future music stars. Some of these were David Porter and Maurice White from Earth, Wind & Fire.
Booker T. started his professional music career at age 16. He played the baritone saxophone on a song called "Cause I Love You." This was one of the first hits for Satellite Records, which later became Stax Records. He also joined Willie Mitchell's band. He started on sax and later played bass guitar. There, he met Al Jackson Jr., who would become a bandmate.
Forming Booker T. & the M.G.'s
While spending time at the Satellite Record Shop, Booker T. met Steve Cropper. Steve worked at the shop and would later become a member of the M.G.'s. The band Booker T. & the M.G.'s officially formed in 1962.
The group included Booker T. Jones on organ, Steve Cropper on guitar, Lewie Steinberg on bass, and Al Jackson Jr. on drums. Later, Donald "Duck" Dunn took over on bass. While still in high school, Booker T. helped write the band's famous instrumental song "Green Onions." This song became a huge hit in 1962.
A writer named Bob Altshuler described Booker T.'s early talent. He said Booker T. was the most talented musician in his school. He even directed the school band for four years! Booker T. studied music theory and harmony. He started playing the string bass, but soon switched to the organ. He began working as a staff musician for Stax Records while still in high school. He played on many recordings for other artists.
A Busy Musician and Producer
For several years, Booker T. balanced many things. He studied classical music at Indiana University. He played with the M.G.'s on weekends in Memphis. He also worked as a session musician for other Stax artists. Plus, he wrote many songs that became classics.
He co-wrote "I've Never Found a Girl (To Love Me Like You Do)" with Eddie Floyd. He also wrote Otis Redding's "I Love You More Than Words Can Say." With William Bell, he wrote "Born Under a Bad Sign" for bluesman Albert King. This song later became famous with the band Cream.
In 1970, Booker T. moved to California. He stopped working for Stax Records because he felt the M.G.'s were treated more like employees than important musicians. Even though he was made a Vice President at Stax, he felt they didn't get to make big decisions.
Booker T. also produced albums for other artists. He produced Bill Withers's first album, Just as I Am, in 1971. He also produced Rita Coolidge's album Love Me Again (1978) and Willie Nelson's famous album Stardust (1978). He has played keyboards for many different musicians, from Ray Charles to Neil Young.
Booker T. Jones married Nanine Warhurst in 1985. They have three children together. One of their daughters, Olivia Jones, is also a performer.
Awards and Later Career
On March 1, 1995, Booker T. & the M.G.'s won their first Grammy Award. It was for Best Pop Instrumental Performance for their song "Cruisin'." Booker T. still performs with the M.G.'s and his own band, the Booker T. Jones Band. His current touring band includes Vernon "Ice" Black (guitar), Darian Gray (drums), and Melvin Brannon (bass).
Booker T. Jones was added to The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992. He also received a special Grammy Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2007. In the same year, he was inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, Tennessee.
In 2009, he released a new solo album called Potato Hole. He recorded it with the band Drive-By Truckers and it featured Neil Young. This album won the Best Instrumental Album award at the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards in 2010.
Booker T. also played his special Hammond B-3 on songs for other artists. He played on the Rancid album Let the Dominoes Fall (2009). He also played on "If It Wasn't For Bad" from the 2010 album The Union by Elton John and Leon Russell.
In 2011, Jones released The Road from Memphis. This album featured famous musicians like Questlove and "Captain" Kirk Douglas from the Roots. It also had vocals from artists like Lou Reed and Sharon Jones. This album won the Best Pop Instrumental Album at the 54th Annual Grammy Awards in 2012. Booker T. Jones has won a total of four Grammy Awards!
In 2012, he received an honorary doctorate degree from Indiana University's Jacobs School of Music. This was a special award recognizing his achievements.
In June 2013, Booker T. released his 10th album, Sound The Alarm. This album was released on Stax Records, the label he had left over 40 years before! It featured guest artists like Anthony Hamilton and Estelle.
In 2017, he performed at the Royal Albert Hall BBC Proms in a concert honoring 50 years of Stax Records. He played with Jools Holland and other great musicians.
In 2019, Booker T. released his memoir, Time Is Tight: My Life, Note by Note. A memoir is a book about a person's life.
His Solo Music
- Evergreen (1974)
- Try and Love Again (1978)
- The Best of You (1980)
- I Want You (1981)
- Runaway (1989)
- Potato Hole (2009)
- The Road from Memphis (2011)
- Sound the Alarm (2013)
- Note by Note (2019)
Current Band Members
- Booker T. Jones – keyboards
- Ted Jones – guitar
- Melvin Brannon Jr. a.k.a. M-Cat Spoony – bass
- Darian Gray – drums
See also
In Spanish: Booker T. Jones para niños
