Booker T. & the M.G.'s

Led by Booker T. Jones, a child prodigy brought up playing organ in his local church, The M.G.'s honed an iconic groove whilst playing on records for Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett and Eddie Floyd as the house band for the legendary Memphis label Stax Records. One of the first bands to cross the race divide and feature both black and white members, the group found fame in their own right when a 17-year-old Booker T. penned the bluesy organ riff that would become Green Onions - a Number 3 hit at the time and now an undisputed classic. Their work for Stax helped define the 1960s soul sound, pave the way for Motown and inspire fans such as The Beatles, Bob Dylan and Eric Clapton, but tragedy struck when drummer Al Jackson was murdered in 1975. The band have regularly regrouped over the years, notably after Dunn and Cropper featured in the film Blues Brothers, and their 1968 hit Soul Limbo lives on as the theme tune to the BBC's cricket coverage Test Match Special. In 2009 Booker T. Jones teamed up with Neil Young and Drive By Truckers to release the Grammy winning solo album Potato Hole.