Album of the Day

Among the greatest instrumental groups of all time, Booker T & The MG's featured Hammond organ hero Booker T. Jones fronting a band whose name was both a play on the popular car and their status as a “Memphis Group”: guitarist Steve Cropper, bassist Donald “Duck” Dunn and drummer Al Jackson, Jr. (who was born on this day in 1935). The quartet went on to back such '60s soul royalty as Otis Redding and Sam & Dave as well as scoring a number of hits on their own – none greater than “Green Onions,” an instro that reached #3 on the Pop chart and opens the group's first album. While that song's simmering keyboard work and lean guitar riff may be the set's most recognizable music, the other 11 tracks on the debut are equally impressive – some 60 years after its original release, GREEN ONIONS remains as tasty as ever.