Booker T. Jones

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 MGs He has also worked in the studios with many wellknown 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 lowermiddleclass 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 Hayess writing partner David Porter saxophonist Andrew Love of the Memphis Horns soul singersongwriter William Bell and Earth Wind Fires singersongwriter Maurice White Joness 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