was one of the architects of the Memphis soul sound of the 1960s as the leader of , who scored a number of hits on their own as well as serving as the Stax Records house band. But ' accomplishments don't stop there, and as a producer, songwriter, arranger, and instrumentalist, he's worked with a remarkable variety of artists, from and to to .

was born in Memphis, Tennessee on November 12, 1944. He developed a keen interest in music as a boy; while working a paper route, he used to pass by the house of jazz pianist , and would often stop and listen to him practice as he folded newspapers. By the time was in high school, he helped to direct the school band and was proficient on saxophone, trombone, oboe, and keyboards; he also played organ during services at his church, and would occasionally sneak out and sit in with R&B combos at local nightclubs. In 1960, , a frequent customer at Memphis' Satellite Record Shop, was recruited to play sax on a and recording session when the proprietors of the store, Estelle Axton and , decided to start their own record label. The label soon evolved into Stax Records, and , along with guitarist (who was managing the record store when he met ), bassist (later replaced by ), and drummer , would form , who would back up Stax artists , , , , and many others, as well as releasing a steady stream of instrumental recordings on their own, including the smash hit "Green Onions." ' productivity in the early to mid-'60s is all the more remarkable as he was also a full-time student at Indiana University, where he studied composition and music theory while playing shows and recording sessions on weekends and vacations.

enjoyed considerable success in their heyday — cutting hits, backing Stax's leading artists, touring Europe and the U.K. with the Stax/Volt Revue, and accompanying for his legendary set at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival — but between internal disputes at Stax (mostly regarding the spoils of their successful distribution deal with Atlantic Records) and the increasingly busy schedules of the various members, the group was on the verge of breaking up, and in 1970, relocated to Los Angeles. He had already been branching out, appearing on 's 1969 album and 's ambitious The Detroit-Memphis Experiment, and after 1971's , quietly broke up. stayed busy with session work, playing on albums by , , , and , and in 1971 he released Booker T. & Priscilla, the first of two albums he would record with his then-wife, (the sister of ). The same year, produced Just as I Am, the outstanding debut album by , which featured the hits "Ain't No Sunshine" and "Grandma's Hands." In 1975, and were working on a reunion album when was murdered; the group continued to record with drummer , but they parted ways again in 1977. In 1978, released his first solo album, Try and Love Again, and enjoyed one of his biggest successes as a producer with 's , a collection of pop standards that established as one of country's biggest crossover acts.

Session work and production assignments with dominated ' schedule in the '80s, though he released a second solo album, , in 1981; another followed late in the decade, 1989's The Runaway. In 1992, were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and that same year, the group reunited for a special, high-profile gig: they served as the house band for an all-star tribute to staged in honor of the songwriter's 30th year as a recording artist. , one of the artists who appeared at the concert, was impressed enough with that he invited them to serve as his backing band for a major concert tour in 1993. The tour sparked new interest in the band, and in 1994, and cut a new album, , and they supported it with a number of live dates. soon returned to a steady schedule of session work, and he produced as well as performed on 's 2002 album But in 2008, stepped up for one of his most ambitious solo efforts to date, Potato Hole, in which he was backed up by country-influenced hard rockers , with adding additional guitar on several tunes. The album earned enthusiastic reviews, and supported the release with a number of live dates in America, Europe, and the U.K. In 2011, returned with another inspired collaboration, , in which he teamed up in the studio with Philadelphia-based hip-hop/modern soul collective . returned to Stax Records, now under the Concord Records umbrella, for 2013's guest-laden . After a few quiet years, returned in 2019 with a new album called and his memoir, Time Is Tight: My Life, Note by Note. ~ Mark Deming

Booker T Jones

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