Released: 1962
It seemed that every 20th century generation had their instrumental, from Apache to Blue Monday and beyond, but the story of how Green Onions became more ubiquitous than both is a remarkable one and less told, or at least not told enough.
Boiling it down is a crime in itself, but the facts of the matter – at least, those not in dispute – are that four Memphis session men who were subsequently to become the Stax label’s house band laid down what was to become one of soul’s most famous tunes, period. With a naggingly funky Hammond organ riff written by Booker T. Jones at the tender age of 17 but made by Steve Cropper’s switchblade sharp Fender chops, the track’s feel was skintight, a groove you couldn’t shake off.
Laid down in three takes, Green Onions has acquired a musical half life that means A) It’s likely if you’re an adult you’ve heard it somewhere, somehow and B) it’s impossible to tie it to a specific era, with guesses of it’s origin landing anywhere in a near decade span between John Kennedy’s presidency and Woodstock. Every 20th century generation it seemed had their own instrumental, but here was one that beonged to all of them.
The Voice Of Unreason 
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