"Time is Tight"

Booker T & The MGs "Time is Tight" (Live 1970) Booker T. & the M.G.'s is a soul band, most prominent in the 1960s and 1970s. They are most commonly associated with Stax Records and are often placed in the subgenre of Memphis soul. They are probably best known for their 1962 hit instrumental "Green Onions" and for being the "house band" for many Stax/Volt performers. As originators of the unique Stax sound, the group was one of the most prolific, respected and imitated of their era: By the mid-1960s, bands on both sides of the Atlantic were trying to sound like Booker T. & the MG's. Core members of the group include Booker T. Jones (organ, piano), Steve Cropper (guitar), Donald "Duck" Dunn or Lewie Steinberg (bass), and Al Jackson Jr. (drums). Isaac Hayes, Carson Whitsett, and Willie Hall have also been part of the group. These guys truly broke that 'black/white' barrier as a mixed race band in the south. Layin' down the solid funky grooves for some intense soul singers like Otis Redding and millions more. Although, as a three piece band of there own, they did get roped into some cheesey 'Hollywoodstyle' instrumental cover versions of pop songs of the time. Even then, when the man gave them this task it was still done with that certain style and soul that keeps there credibility alive today. Truly the driving force (musically) was Al Jackson Jr.'s much envied layed back beat and later, the unmistakable sound of his snare drum (see Bill Withers and most of the Al Green catalog) Search through the history of rock/soul and you find one or all of them in the line up very often.