One of the most popular instrumental songs ever, "Green Onions" started out as a band jam at a demo recording session for rock'n'roll singer Billy Lee Riley with the famed Stax Records house band.
Stax label head Jim Stewart liked what he heard and recorded what would become the basis for the band's debut album.
Christened Booker T. & The M.G.s, they released "Green Onions" with original members Booker T. Jones (organ, piano), Steve Cropper (guitar), Lewie Steinberg (bass), and Al Jackson Jr. (drums) in October 1962.
The title track became a worldwide hit, covered by dozens of artists including the Blues Brothers, the Ventures, the Shadows, Deep Purple, Mongo Santamaria and Count Basie.
The deluxe 60th Anniversary Edition of "Green Onions" releases as a 1LP 180g vinyl in a green translucent colorway similar in hue to the vegetable it celebrates plus a 4-page insert, including band photos, Stax Records ephemera and David Ritz's new liner notes.
Side A
1. Green Onions 2:45
2. Rinky-Dink 2:39
3. I Got A Woman 3:32
4. Mo' Onions 2:50
5. Twist And Shout 2:09
6. Behave Yourself 3:45
Side B
1. Stranger On The Shore 2:18
2. Lonely Avenue 3:25
3. One Who Really Loves You 2:22
4. I Can't Sit Down 2:46
5. A Woman, A Lover, A Friend 3:15
6. Comin' Home Baby 3:09