Booker T. Jones: The Living Legend Comes to Myron’s

Did you know that Hammond B-3 organ maestro Booker T. Jones was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992, before Led Zeppelin, Sly Stone, Joni Mitchell or David Bowie got in?

That’s how vital an impact Jones and his band – Booker T. & The M.G.’s – have had on shaping the sound of soul, R&B and funk music from the 1960s through today.

Here are a few more fun facts about Booker T. Jones, who plays two shows at Myron’s at The Smith Center on Saturday, June 7.

Stax Connection: Booker T. & The M.G.s started as the house band for the legendary Memphis-based record lead Stax. There, the group backed such luminaries as Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett, Bill Withers and Albert King across hundreds of classic songs like “Walking the Dog,” “Soul Man” and “Try a Little Tenderness.”

Instant Success: Booker T. & The M.G.’s very first single, instrumental track “Green Onions,” reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot R&B Singles chart. Jones wrote the song when he was 17 years old.

Beatlemania: In 1970, Booker T. & The M.G.’s released McLemore Avenue, a collection of instrumental covers of songs from The Beatles’ album Abbey Road. John Lennon, a fan of the band, referred to Booker T. & The M.G.’s as “Book a Table and the Maître d's.”

Well-Earned Recognition: In addition to gaining entry into the Rock Hall, Booker T. & The M.G.’s were awarded a prestigious Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007. The group was also named to Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time in 2004.