Booker T. Jones – 7:00 PM

From an early age, Booker T. Jones –“one of the legends of soul music” (The New Yorker) – was captivated by the magic of melody, rhythm, and harmony. So magnetic was the attraction, in fact, that by the time he turned sixteen, he was, incredibly, already a working musician with a hit song to his name.

As part of the first house band for Stax Records, he formed the category-defining group Booker T. & the MGs, whose first recording, “Green Onions,” was an international sensation, selling more than one million copies and winning a place among Rolling Stone’s top five hundred songs of all time. Not stopping there, Jones continued to push soul music’s boundaries, refining it to its essence and giving it national prominence. Nearly five decades after he first made his entrance onto the scene, Jones paved the way for modern soul music and is largely responsible for the genre’s rise and enduring popularity.

From midcentury Memphis, where the brutality of segregation was a stark backdrop to the loving, supportive family and community in which he was raised, to the creative hotbed of Beale Street, the Harlem of the South; from his early friendship with figures such as Maurice White (who went on to form Earth, Wind, and Fire) to the complicated dynamics of the racially mixed MGs—Jones not only was a witness to revolutions but also wrote their soundtracks. His musical legacy includes enduring compositions such as “Time Is Tight,” “Hip Hug-Her,” and the oft-sampled “Melting Pot” and collaborations with the likes of Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett, and Sam and Dave – and later Neil Young, Bob Dylan, Barbra Streisand, Carlos Santana, and Willie Nelson. Jones has earned a GRAMMY Award for Lifetime Achievement and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992.

Booker T. Jones Website
Sponsored by Cassidy Insurance Agency
(Ticket Includes 5% City of Santa Cruz Admission Tax)