For its 60th Anniversary, Rounder records has reissued Booker’s classic ‘Green Onions’ on Limited Edition 180 gram green vinyl. The record was remastered straight from the original production tapes. Included are new liner notes written by music historian David Ritz. A limited amount of autographed copies are only available in Booker’s Store!
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In a new memoir, “Time Is Tight: My Life, Note by Note,” the Stax studio wizard and acclaimed producer tells his own story and finds his voice.
READ THE FULL NEW YORK TIMES ARTICLE
Booker T is proud to have 2 songs in USA Today’s Top 100 best songs in history: #10 “Ain’t No Sunshine” (produced) and #77 “Green Onions” (wrote and performed)! See the complete list here:
“Here you can take an exclusive first listen to Sound the Alarm, which was released on his first label, the venerable Stax Records. On opener “Sound the Alarm,” the lead guitar riff and Hawthorne’s vocals slink around snappy percussion, and “Fun” finds Jones constructing a thumping piece of instrumental pop blues. Estelle shows up on the soulful atmospheric stomper “Can’t Wait,” while album highlight “Austin City Blues” finds hotshot guitarist Clark Jr. weaving licks with ease around the heavenly wail of Jones’ organ.”
The song “Watch You Sleeping“, a funky slow-burner at nearly four minutes long, features Kori Withers on vocals. Withers, daughter of major soul player Bill Withers, adds a saccharine vocal to Jones’s deeper croon and the track premiers exclusively on Billboard.com.
Booker T. Jones will follow back-to-back GRAMMY wins for his previous twoalbums with ‘Sound The Alarm‘ out June 25 on Stax/Concord Music Group. This marks Booker’s return to Stax, a label revered for the gritty soul sound he helped create with Memphis’ first integrated band in the early ’60s, and features collaborations with some of the finest talents in modern soul and R&B including Mayer Hawthorne, Anthony Hamilton, Vintage Trouble, Estelle, Gary Clark, Jr., Luke James and more.
‘Sound The Alarm’ is a celebration of the past, present and future of R&B with flares of hip-hop bravado on the title track with Mayer Hawthorne and “Gently” with Anthony Hamilton, plus an explosive performance from Vintage Trouble’s Ty Taylor on “Your Love Is No Love.” Booker’s B3 is front and center, especially on instrumentals “Feel Good,” “Austin City Blues” with Gary Clark, Jr. and “Fun,” a joyous, pulsing jam. “Watch You Sleeping” features Bill Withers’ daughter Kori on a vocal duet with Booker, and an instrumental with his son Ted on guitar on “Father Son Blues” closes the album.
Booker T wrote or co-wrote all twelve songs on ‘Sound The Alarm.’ He co-produced the album with brothers Bobby Ross and Issiah “IZ” Avila, who haveworked with Usher and Mary J. Blige. The Avila brothers also play in the rhythm section on most of the tracks.
