The 1960's instrumental tune "Green Onions" by Booker T and the MG's is one of my favorite motivational and feeling good songs. Here's a few video clips to connect the dots with the tune and the artists. Starting out as the de facto house band for Stax Records in the early 60's, and playing on hundreds of tracks for other major performers....their one signature instrumental..."Green Onions"....will be what they are remembered for.
Booker T Jones on Organ, Steve Cropper ( in the top 100 of all time great guitar players ) and Donald "Duck" Dunn on bass, have been playing this tune for five, going on six decades.
The song would go on to even greater heights when it was featured in the 1973 mega hit film "American Graffiti".
This fantastic period piece/coming of age film featured Ron Howard, who would go on to make further history as Richie Cunningham in the TV hit show "Happy Days"....and then further yet up the ladder to be a phenomenal movie director and producer. Richard Dreyfus would go on to make "Jaws" a house hold word and become "A" list Hollywood. Cindy Williams would go on the "Laverne and Shirley". Paul LeMat would star in many more Hollywood productions and a second "Graffiti" movie. Charles Martin Smith played "Toad"...he went on to live up here in Canada and produced a great, under appreciated movie called "Stone of Destiny" Very fun movie.
American Graffiti co-writer and director George Lucas and Harrison Ford (driving the hot-rod 55 Chevy) would go on to.....well...pretty much take over the whole world with the Star Wars and Indiana Jones movies.
Steve Cropper and Donald "Duck" Dunn would have a film career also. They were part of the "Blues Brothers" band in the John Belushi/Dan Ackroyd classic. In this clip they are on the left hand side of the stage, behind the brothers. Donald "Duck" Dunn is puffing away on a pipe, and Steve Cropper is the guy with long hair, beard and shades cranking on the guitar.
And finally, Steve Cropper explains ( long winded...be patient ) how Green Onions came about. Donald Dunn looks bored right out of his mind. Booker T is a happy camper....and they let it all hang out.
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