Definition of Green Onions
"Green Onions" is an instrumental composition recorded in 1962 by Booker T. & the M.G.'s. One of the most popular rock and soul songs, and one of the best-known R&B instrumentals of its era, it utilizes a twelve-bar blues progression and features a rippling Hammond M3 organ line played by frontman Booker T. Jones, who created it when he was 17 by improvising in the studio.
The track was originally issued on the Volt label (a subsidiary of Stax Records) as the B-side of "Behave Yourself" on Volt 102; it was quickly reissued as the A-side of Stax 127, and it also appeared on the album of the same name that same year. The organ sound of the song became a feature of the "Memphis soul sound".
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Frequently asked questions
What is Green Onions?
"Green Onions" is an instrumental composition recorded in 1962 by Booker T. & the M.G.'s. One of the most popular rock and soul songs, and one of the best-known R&B instrumentals of its era, it utilizes a twelve-bar blues progression and features a rippling…