Sharon Jones adds to the List of Greats We Lost in 2016

Well, 2016 continues to kick our asses. This has been a tough, tough year, and it was made even worse by the fact that the great Sharon Jones passed away on Friday. I mean, I have written RIP pieces to Phife Dawg, Daryl Dawkins, Moses Malone, David Bowie, the list goes on and on and on, and now I have to write about Sharon Jones.

This is a very sad thing that has happened. Sharon Jones was one of the greatest soul singers to ever walk the Earth. Her voice was booming, boisterous, incredibly soulful, soothing, silky, smooth, basically, she was everything that you could want from a singer. She hit all the notes that anyone ever asked her to hit. She was an all timer.

I became a fan of Sharon Jones about 6 years ago, when I really dug deep into soul music. I was going through a big Stax Records, James Brown and, basically any soul and R&B music I could get my hands on phase. I immediately fell in love with the sound of the music. Then, as I was listening to Carla Thomas, Rufus' daughter, my dad told me to check out Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings. I think he thought I'd be heavily into the band, which I was, but it was Jones' voice that shook me to my core. She was like the follow up to Etta James or Billie Holiday. She was actually like a great mixture of the two of them. The Dap Kings were also phenomenal. They were a great backing band for one of the most memorable soul singers ever.

Next, I dug very deep into her catalog, and I loved every single thing I heard. I loved the more upbeat songs, but I also truly loved the sad songs. I also really liked the stuff in between. Basically, she could do no wrong in my opinion. Like I stated, her voice was one of a kind. She had such a beautiful voice that suited her style of music perfectly. She could do it all in the world of soul music. She was exceptional.

As I really got into her stuff even more, I found out that she had pancreatic cancer. I felt like I got punched in the gut. I was just really getting into this wonderful singer, who was still relatively young, and could make so much more music, but she was given a death sentence. Pancreatic cancer is no joke. But, instead of letting it effect her, she still went out, made music and performed live. She was going to live what little life she had left to the fullest. She would constantly say on stage, "I have cancer, cancer doesn't have me!". I love that. She was not going to let this horrible diagnosis stop her from being herself. She went out and shaved her head before treatments started, and wore the bald look so proudly. The first time I saw a photo of her, I cried tears of joy/sadness. She was dying, which made me sad, but she wasn't giving up, which gave me joy.

Sharon Jones was one of a kind. As I said, she still performed live all the way to the end. And she rocked it. There is a documentary about her called Miss Sharon Jones!.  I have only seen clips from it, and she is just as energetic in her final shows as she was when she first started. Believe me, I will be seeing this movie very soon.

She was a light in the dark world we now live in. There is another clip that has surfaced since she passed, that has Prince, also RIP, surprise her on stage, at a show, and he played some great songs with her, and she was so happy, plus shocked, by what was going on. Two legends recently sharing the stage, that we have now lost. It is a very sad thing. Since Friday, I have not stopped listening to her music in my car. It makes me happy to hear her voice, but very sad to know that we will never hear new music from her again. I read that she was surrounded by loved ones, including the Dap Kings, when she passed on Friday. All the way to the end, she kept loved ones, including her band, around to keep her spirits up.

These great people need to quit dying. 2016 needs to stop taking away legends that we need now more than ever. It has been a pretty crummy year if you think about it. And now, add on the fact that Sharon Jones is gone.

Rest in Peace Mrs. Jones, you were a bright shining light, and you will be missed by so, so many people. I love your music, but I also loved your joy for life and everything else. You were truly one of the best all around people to ever live. I hope you and Prince are playing music together wherever the two of you are now. I miss you both so much.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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The Greatest American Band Debate: Booker T. and the M.G.'s

SeedSing is filled with music lovers. We can not agree on who is the best band from the States. The Greatest American Band Debate will be a regular feature where we discuss and compare bands who started in the good old USA. If you have any suggestions of bands we should debate Contact us seedsing.rdk@gmail.com

Today for the greatest American band debate I'm going to nominate the first, and possibly only, all instrumental band. Instrumental music can be a hard sell for a lot of people, but these guys did it funky with a ton of soul and made it very enjoyable. Of course I'm talking about Booker T and the MG's.

Chances are even if you don't think you know who Booker T and the MG's are, or one of their songs, you've heard them before. They have been around forever, still performing today, albeit very limited and not the same guys that started the group, and their sound has been used by very famous singers. They were one of the first backing bands that went out and did their own thing and garnered a good amount of success doing it.

Booker T and the MG's formed in the early 60's in Tennessee. They helped shaped, and probably pioneered, the "Memphis sound". They were the funkiest backing band that I have ever heard. Booker T Jones was the organist and piano player, Steve Cooper was on guitar, Lewie Steinberg played bass and Al Jackson was the drummer. After forming, they quickly became the house band for Stax Records. They performed with legendary singers like Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett, Bill Withers, Sam and Dave, Carla and Rufus Thomas and Albert King. Basically, any big time artist that Stax had, they wanted Booker T and the MG's to be their backing band. They have had to played on hundreds upon hundreds of hits when you look at those musicians that they performed with. Songs like "Walkin the Dog", "Hold On, I'm Comin", "Soul Man" and "Try a Little Tenderness", just to name a few, they were the ones bringing the music to the lyrics. Those are mega hits that not only soul music fans know and love, but just fans of music adore. "Soul Man" and "Hold On, I'm Comin" really show you Booker T and the MG's signature soul/funk/rock sound. Great guitar, followed by great bass and thumping drums and then the cherry on the top that is Booker T's exceptional piano playing. They could even do slower stuff like "Try a little Tenderness", but they had to throw their sound in to make it a little funky and have a touch of rock and roll. When that song jumps up in tempo, I get goosebumps listening to it. It's a perfect song that perfectly showcases not only Otis Redding, but mainly Booker T and the MG's.

The band would also record and release their own material while still performing with these uber famous singers. They have put out a ton of their own stuff, but their biggest hit has to be "Green Onions". Believe me, you know this song. The first place I heard "Green Onions" was in the movie "The Sandlot". I was in fifth grade, my dad took me out of school early to see this baseball movie, and while the movie is one of my all time favorites, with the scenes of the kids playing being phenomenal, I kept asking my dad about "that one song that had no words". I couldn't shake that song. I loved it as a 10 year old and I still love it now. "Green Onions" is the personification of the "Memphis sound" and, more importantly, perfectly sums up the greatness that is Booker T and the MG's. The organ and the drum that starts is awesome. Then, the simple guitar riff, that is just chords, absolutely wonderful. Then, Booker T really shines on the organ, playing the most distinct notes anyone has ever heard. I guarantee you know the song when you hear that organ in the first verse. The guitar keeps adding reverb and gets a bit more complicated throughout the three minute song. Then, it's back to organ, with a downright funky bass line being played. The drums, keeping perfect beat the whole time, are just incredible. When I hear this song, I can't help but dance or move my feet or bob my head to it. It's a classic.

Now, "Green Onions" isn't their only hit as a band, they also have the song "Time is Tight". This song features the great organ by Booker T, but the other musicians shine just as bright. The guitar is just as front and center as the organ and it's awesome. The solos are fantastic. The drums are great, this time, not just keeping time, but playing awesome fills and having a very full sound. The bass is just as good. It's minimal, but it is necessary and it is good. I know bass always gets a bad rap and people make fun of bass players, but in a soul/R&B/funk group, bass is very important. It keeps time, just like the drums do. They have many other hit songs, but these are the two that everyone, even if they think they don't know them, know these songs. Hell, "Green Onions" is a staple in most movies and on a lot of TV shows.

Booker T and the MG's are owed a great debt by many musicians, especially ones that fancy themselves funk musicians. Without what these guys did, we may have never gotten that funky soul sound that they brought to the listening public. They are in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but I feel like they're a very underrated band. They are all extremely technically skilled musicians that all the big names in soul music wanted to be their backing band. Booker T and the MG's, in my opinion, are the best backing band of all time. I know people will throw out singers and musicians from the movie "20 Feet From Stardom" or the band from "Standing in the Shadows of Motown", but for my taste, it gets no better than Booker T and the MG's. These guys created a sound that was all their own. They are inventors and masters of their craft. They still perform today, with mainly new members, but Booker T is still there hammering away at his organ, and that's all that matters. As long as he is still around, the MG's will continue to be a great band.

Here's to you Booker T and the MG's, you guys are pioneers.

Ty 

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man podcast. He feel bad for being mean to the bassist from his high school rock band. The dude kept good time. Hear all about the glory days of The Redshirt Freshmen by following Ty on twitter @tykulik.