Booker T. Jones created the classic Hammond B3 organ sound that was at the core of Booker T. and the MGs, the iconic Stax Records house band that helped invent Memphis soul as well as conjure up such indelible instrumental hits of their own as "Green Onions" and "Time Is Tight." Jones spent two decades mostly out of the spotlight as a session musician and producer before reemerging with 2009's Grammy-winning Potato Hole. Subsequently, The Road From Memphis and last year's Sound the Alarm both laced Jones's organ sound, as thick and tangy as Memphis barbecue sauce, around the contributions of a slew of guests. Jones's Memphis grooves tend to adopt sleek, contemporary updates when vocalists (Mayer Hawthorne, Jay James, Estelle) are involved. But the instrumentals feel timeless, including a pair of blues-soaked tunes with guitarists Gary Clark Jr. and son Ted Jones, plus a Latin workout with Pancho Sanchez and Sheila E. (Photo by Piper Ferguson)
