Booker T. Jones

No matter where intention or fate may have taken him, Booker T. Jones was likely destined to become a giant in the annals of popular music. The musician, songwriter and producer—now 73 years old—had learned to play keyboards, bass and various wind instruments before entering high school; before graduating, he had been drafted into recording sessions with fellow Memphis legends Carla and Rufus Thomas. His talent was simply too huge to be denied. In 1962, he debuted his instrumental quartet, Booker T. & the M.G.s (one of the first racially integrated groups), whose hit “Green Onions” played a key role in defining what eventually became known as Southern soul. Now a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee and recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Grammy, Jones rolls on tirelessly, his influence still bearing out in the likes of the Dap-Kings and the Roots. He and his band return to Vancouver for the first time in almost two years.