‘Green Onions’ is one of those iconic tunes that you can play to even the most casual of casual music listeners and they’ll recognise it. You can start whistling it in a group and no doubt half of the people will be able to whistle it back to you.
The song was originally a B-side for Booker T And The MGs in 1962 and was written by Booker T. Jones when he was only 17. That track has resonated through the decades, and on Friday night fans were given a chance to hear it straight from the man himself in an intimate show at the Corner Hotel.
Fellow Bluesfest performer for this year, Valerie June, was absolutely irrefutable as a support act with her mess of dreads and penchant for rambling tales made charming by her southern drawl. While introducing and explaining where her songs came from, she would often turn away from the microphone only to come back again for the audience to hear the end of her sentence.
Performers with such honest and inviting personalities are not all that common and even rarer are ones that can back it up with undeniable musical talent. With just her guitar and voice, June took a cold Melbourne audience on a journey to the sultry south of the United States with her self-described ‘moonshine’ blues and roots music.
The artist only required help for one of her tunes, inviting Jones up for a sneak preview before his own set. Fan-girling out as he tuned his guitar, the singer explained how she was given the opportunity to record with the legend for the track ‘Somebody To Love’ off her latest album.
There’s something about June’s guitar playing that seeps into your mind and clears it, leaving only her voice to guide you. Her unique mix of high register whine and gruff bluesman emotionally charges her lyrics forward. If you’re a fan of hard-out blues, be damn sure to add June’s Pushin’ Against A Stone to your collection.
Jones’ sharp band started warming up the crowd before the man himself took to the stage, looking cool as shit in a suit and hat. The tasty rhythms had well sunk in by the time Jones laid his hands down on the plastic keys of his Hammond organ, and sonic bliss rained down from his melodies.
Playing through his hits from the past, like ‘Hang ‘Em High’ and the obvious inclusion ‘Green Onions’, the band also did a surprising amount of covers, including Jimi Hendrix’s ‘Hey Joe’, Muddy Water’s ‘Mannish Boy’, and an instrumental version of Outkast’s ‘Hey Ya’.
The groove of every song caused the diverse audience members to erupt into convulsions as each band member showcased their abilities in the tightest of sets. The band leader was stolid, looking side on into the audience and smiling as he watched his machinations take control.
Jones has surrounded himself with some amazing musicians, including his son Ted Jones, who plays a guitar just like ringing a bell. One of the closing numbers was a heartfelt song between the two generations titled ‘Father Son Blues’ off the latest recording, Sound The Alarm.
In retrospect, the whole show almost felt like a history lesson spanning the last half a century. The musician told personal anecdotes about watching Hendrix play and the effect of the great bluesman like Muddy Waters.
Jones’ legacy will live on in his historic session work with the Stax record label, but the release of his tenth album Sound The Alarm proves that his legacy is still growing.
