The 100 best musicians of all time: Booker T. and the MGS – Essay from Isaac Hayes
Booker T. and the MGS were responsible for the Southern Funk. Motown stood for the north and for blank polished productions, while the MGS sounded raw and dirty. And this sound still lives today: Hiphoppers keep digging out MG material and using it as a sample.
In the United States of the 1960s, the so-called “cotton curtain” still existed: As part of the racial segregation, there were no mixed bands in Memphis. On this point, too, the MGS were ahead of their time: they were half black, half white, lived together like a family and thus anticipated the changes that were supposed to be reflected in the entire society.
What Steve played had a hand and foot
The MGS made a name for themselves with instrumentals like “Green Onions”, but they were also the house band of Stax/Volt at the same time and, as such, proved enormous versatility: Otis Redding Had his specific sound, Sam and Dave had her, Albert King pulled his number through – but Booker T. and the MGS played for all sessions. When I took my first shots for Stax, they taught me everything I had to know about the recording process.
Steve Cropper and Donald “Duck” Dunn were the rock’n’roller, but also covered country and blues. Guitarists often tend to beat the strands soloist, but what Steve played had a hand and foot. Duck was a great bass player and also incredibly funny. Al Jackson’s father had already been a drummer, so Al had the rhythm in his blood. In addition to his R&B grooves, he also had a soft spot for jazzy flavors.
Booker T. conjured up the most incredible sounds from his organ. I remember an incident when Booker was accidentally booked for two concerts in one day. He reached another band and drove to Kansas, while I drove with the MGS to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and pretended there as if I was Booker T. in the middle of the set a guy: “Hey, the guy is not booker T.” But then he calmed down again – and the groove took over the rest.