Green Onions (album)

Green Onions is the debut album by Booker T. & the M.G.'s, released on Stax Records in October 1962. It reached number 33 on the pop album chart in the month of its release. The title single was a worldwide hit and has been covered by dozens of artists, including the Blues Brothers and Roy Buchanan (both with Steve Cropper on guitar), as well as The Ventures, Al Kooper, The Shadows, Mongo Santamaría and Count Basie.

Green Onions
Studio album by Booker T. & the M.G.'s
Released	October 1962
Recorded	June–August 1962 at Stax Recording Studio, Memphis
Genre	R&B[1]
Length	34:55
Label	Stax Atlantic
Producer	Jim Stewart
Booker T. & the M.G.'s chronology
Green Onions (1962) Soul Dressing (1965)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]

Three previous Stax LPs – two by the Mar-Keys, one by Carla Thomas – had been issued on Atlantic Records. Green Onions was the first album released on the Stax label. It was also Stax's first charting album, peaking at number 33 on the Billboard 200.[2] The album features only instrumental songs and features Steve Cropper playing a Fender Telecaster.[3]

The album was included in Robert Dimery's 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.[4]

Track listing

Side one

1. "Green Onions" (Steve Cropper, Booker T. Jones, Lewie Steinberg, Al Jackson Jr.) – 2:53
2. "Rinky Dink" (David Clowney, Paul Winley) – 2:41
3. "I Got a Woman" (Ray Charles, Renald Richard) – 3:35
4. "Mo' Onions" (Steve Cropper, Al Jackson, Jr., Booker T. Jones, Lewie Steinberg) – 2:57
5. "Twist and Shout" (Phil Medley, Bert Berns) – 2:13
6. "Behave Yourself" (Steve Cropper, Al Jackson Jr., Booker T. Jones, Lewie Steinberg) – 3:55

Side two

1. "Stranger on the Shore" (Acker Bilk) – 2:22
2. "Lonely Avenue" (Doc Pomus) – 3:30
3. "One Who Really Loves You" (Smokey Robinson) – 2:26
4. "You Can't Sit Down" (Dee Clark, Kal Mann, Cornell Muldrow) – 2:51
5. "A Woman, a Lover, a Friend" (Sidney Wyche) – 2:33
6. "Comin' Home Baby" (Bob Dorough, Ben Tucker) – 3:12

Personnel

Booker T. & the M.G.s

• Booker T. Jones – Hammond M3 organ
• Steve Cropper – guitar
• Lewis Steinberg – double bass, bass guitar
• Al Jackson Jr. – drums

Technical

• Haig Adishian - cover design
• Irving Schild - cover photography

Chart history

Name	Chart (1962)	Peak position
Green Onions	U.S. Pop Albums Chart	33
"Green Onions"	U.S. Billboard Hot 100	3
"Green Onions"	U.S. Billboard R&B Singles	1
"Mo' Onions"	U.S. Billboard Hot 100	97
"Mo' Onions"	U.S. Billboard R&B Singles	97

Notes

1. Eder, Bruce. Green Onions at AllMusic. Retrieved December 1, 2015.
2. Bowman, Rob (1997). Soulsville U.S.A.: The Story of Stax Records. New York: Schirmer Trade. p.229-233 ISBN 0-8256-7284-8
3. Electric Guitar Classics:2010 Calendar Published by Sellers Publishing, Inc. Archived 2010-12-29 at Archive.today Copyright 2009
4. ^ Robert Dimery; Michael Lydon (23 March 2010). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die: Revised and Updated Edition. Universe. ISBN 978-0-7893-2074-2.