"Green Onions" by Booker T on Hollywood a Go Go

[JohnnyLackland]

I dig the girls dancing. My favourites on the girl watching scene were from the 60's. The black girls, the white girls - they looked good (what is known today as "hot").

- Johnny Lackland

[ChrisHenniker]

To any teens viewing this: You have good taste for choosng music that doesn't date. I love this song too, ever since I was your age.

[rogerrrubin]

when it's live it ain't jive

[munnyay]

I am only 14 and this is just GREAT music. I wanna live all through the 1950s-? That would be soooo great. Listening to all this great music and with amazing people.

[CuteCatFaith]

wow too fabulous love from paris via the usa

[tomthefunky]

That's Packy Axton on sax. His mother and uncle were the owner's of Stax Records. Forget Motown. Stax was the best R&B label of all time and these guys were the band on every song from 1961 until 1970.

[ecnalubma696969]

Shut that faggot up!

[rollingstopp]

i remember playing this tape in my 70 camaro -375 hp wide ratio m-21 transmission--283 heads stage 1 cam-373 posi rear end =150 mph

[drivingrain1]

In 1962 a salt and pepper band from Memphis Tenn. blasts through the collective soul of a deeply divided nation. Remember this was recorded at Stax records and released in 1962 in American South where at the time was experiencing a great racial unrest.

They're not only great, great musicians,.they're brave men who had every kid in the 60's tuned to their groove. Thanks guys from a 60 year old kid.

[danngazz]

whats the name of the dance the girls , Who are Grandmas by now are doing ?

[cgktuber]

omg look how young Donald "DucK" Dunn and Steve Cropper look!

[pearsnockie]

what year is this performance from?

[danngazz]

@pearsnockie 1964

[rogerrrubin]

Geez, seems like 1964 was just a few days ago!

[kickassfan]

always a great song

[witchman67]

What is that dance that the girls are doing?

[HaviusCorpus]

great stuff...all before the damned hippies showed up...

[bass0111]

Decades ahead of their time with the cordless instruments ...

[jda6669]

@bass0111 Nice one.

[saxismyaxe]

It's amazing how many shows that featured Jazz, Blues, and Rock bands back in the day were hosted by such white bread, overtly wholesome nerdy types. I suspect it was the media's way of easing in integration of Afrocentric culture into the white mainstream. Even so.......

[witchman67]

This song kicks ass.

It should also be noted that this was an inter-racial group, circa 1961.

[SANCHEZinMONTEBELLO]

Wow...

I used to watch this show all the time and realize now

Riddle wasn't a very good host. I've seen most of the Hollywood a Go-Go's and either he couldn't read the cue cards or he was a terrible ad-libber. Nevertheless, the ENERGY this show captured is amazing... Wish I could've gone to one of the tapings but I was only 7 at the time they were created. Riddle also hosted "9th Street West" on KHJ Channel 9 later in the decade.

[BadSneakers]

And don't forget this was the song that was played in American Graffiti when they were heading out for the drag race.

[afegus9]

My Brother Eddie loves this song !!!!!

[bigtool66]

go baby go.....

[scotpens]

This is a mimed performance of an instrumental number. So what would you call it -- "hand -synching"?

[mrcoolguyify]

real good sound quality

[rorygg1]

sam riddle is a moron. don webster of upbeat is less obnoxious, can you believe that? booker t and boys are great as always

[PowderSpirit3]

OoOOooOOo what a Awesome Tune !!!

... thx for the memories !!!

@warrenayoung thx 4 sending this to me :)

[youngeddie3]

SUPERB

[otto3dix]

HEY, WAS THAT EMCEE STONED OR WHAT ? and how about those go go girls ? where have all the go go girls gone ? gone to gogoland everyone. when will they ever learn? when will they return? especially the topless go go girls wearin those big white boots. shake it baby !!

[BasementBeginnings]

@otto3dix Definitely stoned. And about the weed from back then, you had to smoke a football field of it to actually get high. XD

[jegadance]

Great video!!!

[MaharishiMahaYogi]

Booker T Rules!!

[Dustsocks]

This song is absolutely great. I think the song goes on just like a story

[scotpens]

Has anyone ever done the Mashed Potato to "Green Onions" -- at Smokey Joe's Café?

[Notnannette]

Yeah, they have --- me! lol

[Zackmo92]

Is that James Quall in the beginning, hosting this thing???

[HauntedStudios]

The host of Hollywood a Go Go was Sam Riddle, then a "Boss Jock" [DJ] on Los Angeles radio station KHJ.

[rogerrrubin]

@HauntedStudios Know when this was performed?

[wmbrown6]

@Zackmo92 - To further elaborate on 'HauntedStudios' point, the show was produced at the studios of KHJ-TV (now KCAL), and syndicated by Four Star; in the New York market it aired weekly on WPIX (Channel 11). KHJ's then-sister, WOR-TV, had their own music show along similar lines, "Let's Go-Go."

[scotpens]

@wmbrown6 But I'll bet the go-go dancers on the New York show weren't as good-looking as the ones on Hollywood a Go Go!

[wmbrown6]

@scotpens - Can't tell you, because something tells me WWOR (ex WOR-TV) discarded all their tapes of "Let's Go Go." But New York go-go dancers, I suspect, had their own vibe a-goin'.

[MorganHillChristine]

@Zackmo92

Sam Riddle!!!

[ThreePuttinDude]

Oh wow, I thought I was having a flash back @ about 1:50 yikes

I'm much better now...LOL

[dom247925]

Hahaha! :)

[OxAeroBabixO]

i'm 13 and i simply love this song!! it's so groovy, and makes me feel all mod =]

if you dont start dancing or at least tapping your foot when you listen to this song, your probably not human! :]

[dominique777]

the shindig girls dance better to the song!

[scotpens]

Maybe, but the Gazzarri dancers were definitely hotter!

[ksmith1x1]

Al Jackson drummer for this group at 39yrs shot five times in Memphis, Tenn. Cause of death "apparent robbery". May have been CIA hit.(CIA covert war on 60s counter-culture Mae Brussell Nov 1976)

[eydyabass]

makes me mod all over - superb!

[sotoeopoh]

i was brought up on this song....... brilliant

[Bugattiman1011]

ahhhhhhhh the funk

[robclassact]

Um, this isn't live. That's the actual recording verbatim. The absence of an electric guitar (there is an electric bass) kind of really give it away. What's going on?

[scotpens]

Most pop music on TV was lip-synced back then. The shows simply didn't have the time or the budget to set up, rehearse and videotape live performances. Of course, you can't really say an instrumental number is "lip-synced." Hand-synced, maybe?

[unkarka]

duuuuude this is awesome

[folkpoet68]

duck dunn could lay down one crunchy groove, thats for sure. then the colonel wailing on his tele...hot damn.

[nicksplant]

so good, this music is the best

[dumbdog827]

pshh We play this at school...I play Bari Sax and I pwn at this song :) so easy and fun to play

[igordenylson]

this is a classic.. it doesnt matter what color you skin is you can vibe wit this shit

[etnivan]

OMG , that kind of musik is so brilliant!

You can chill , and it doesn't matter where you are ! so great

[flibideegibbit]

omg, fem bots, ya baby ya rock on

[OxAeroBabixO]

the grooviest song possibly ever made :]

i just love dancing to it! ;]

[Henrit]

B/W

???

[AUGU94]

this music is fuckin better of the music of nowadays.. this is the music to listen every day!!

[notreallyhere77]

My best friend Suzee loved this song, it's a

great scoop the loop song. I went with another

friend to visit Suzee's burial site. When

we got back in the car and left, this song

came on the radio. Suzee was still with us.

[1776freedom]

I like the cool bowling shirts the guys are wearing.

[kingvau13]

oh, there's the guitarist. what's with the sax?

[kingvau13]

This is such a funny vid. No guitarist. lol.

what year is this from? gotta be about 66-67 or somthin

[losttouchwithreality]

is that packy standing in the back with the sax?

[shuggy1110]

Gerat Video...hot band...and even hotter chicks!!!!

Bass Player "Duck Dunn has a nephew...David Dunn playin' bass here on Youtube ...many postings...David is excellent...check him out!

[Gmoreau99]

haha its sooo perfect for skate lol it fits the game perfectly!! haha (y)

[goodness10]

i love this song. its ageless

[blahblahfoo]

this song is on Skate.!

[noahf67]

I doubt the fellows are actually playing here...sounds like a time-honored record sync. Shame.... In 1969 when The Band was

offered TV appearances, they declined many

simply because they called for sync routines.

Only Sullivan allowed for live performance.

[H2324]

this song was on the sandlots!!! :)

[Jannymod]

Feet are a twitchin'

[dylansdad1970]

Shame its mimed, tho classic stuff all the same...

[bearnurse1]

What a great video. Love those Hollywood a go go dancers. This video deserves to be better known.

[SpartanM621]

100th rate..sweet,Nice vid By the the by

[violet2048]

All time best driving music. American Grafiti really captured the road trip idea.

[alkasalsa55]

Aw man what a timeless song,loved when they used this song in"American grafitti"when the deuce coupe went up against the badass 55.Never seen Booker t before,thanx Haunted studio.

[Modguy61]

Terrific clip; used to watch this show as a kid:) Brings back great memories!!!

[thedcoy]

Not taking anything away from the Funk Bro's, Booker T & the MG's were the greatest studio band this country ever produced!

[dylansdad1970]

Great clip, though mimed.

[kickassfan]

I sooo loooove the 60s!!!!

[kickassfan]

I sooo loooove the 60s!!!!

[kickassfan]

I sooo loooove the 60s!!!!

[purplefan08]

i remember first hearing this when i was 6! that organ sound has made me the wreck i am today!.

[dqddqd]

sock it to me!!!!!!!!!!

[puffchimp]

syncronised go-go dancers, yeah!

[CrowdPleeza]

I actually feel smarter after listening to this song. LOL

[bobbydukoff]

who was the Saxophone player. I know he doesnt play on the track, but hes wearing the same outfit as the rest of the band. As far as I know BT and the MGs were a hornless band. BT+the MGs+horns=the Mar Kays

[smoke2099]

Booker T and The MG's is a Hornless band but when the horns came it was no other than The Memphis Horns.Wayne Jackson,Andrew Love and Charles"Packy"Axton.But That look like Charles can't really tell.

[arlenroth]

Steve Cropper on guitar, and the great Donald "Duck" Dunn on bass, Al Jackson on drums

[SGWade]

I was one of the dancers in the audience at this show, and I can tell you that the "keyboard" was just a small table with a blanket over it. I'm the tall guy in the short-sleeve shirt in the middle at 2:40. The other performers that day were Donnie Brooks and Donovan. I was chatting up the MGs before the show, and I actually thought they were ushers because of their outfits!

[GuinevereJuliet]

What a great memory! Glad you shared it. I was a kid in the mid-sixties but wanted to be older so that I could dance on this show and Shindig, Shivaree, and Hullabaloo!! If I may ask, how did you get to attend? It must have been a blast. I miss the sixties and would give anything to go back to that fantastic era and I bet you feel the same. Thanks again.

[SGWade]

Hi GuinevereJuliet -- I had a friend who was spotted by a scout for the show at the Warehouse (a hot dance bar in West LA in the 60s), and she was asked to come to the screening to be a dancer in the audience. She asked me to be her partner, since we used to dance a lot in bars in the Santa Monica area. I live in Virginia now, and that whole scene is like another world to me now. Yeah, I'd love to go back to the 60s. Glad you enjoyed the memory.

[gwengoad]

the blond remind me of sharon tate

[harrythebastard1]

long live the MODS..........

[csk0301]

One of the greatest bands that were hardley ever heard sing! A true Amercian classic!!

[northernmistyhaze]

i love green onions!you go a gogo!!!

[slothman001]

wow, that was something. I've only seen the Time Is Tight clip before, and I've been a total fan of this song for around 25 years! I can't wait to show my best friend this clip, he'll SHIT! I also really dig the 7-paneled deal with the cute blonde go-go dancer, that was a great effect. Excellent video. It felt Smmooooooth!!

[scotpens]

That multiple "fly's-eye view" was a high-tech video effect in the mid-1960s. And those gorgeous Gazzari dancers must have been the object of many a teenage boy's fantasies back then. In fact, I wouldn't mind having one or two of them right now -- and I ain't no teenager! Just a dirty old man.

[Nigelxman]

One of my favourite songs of all time. I've never seen footage of them playing until now.  Great stuff! Love the reverb on that guitar. Are there really only 2 black dudes in this band? :-) I just never knew.

[vivienf22]

I can't wait to go on this tour Guy Sebastian & the MG's.

The Memphis Album. killer vocals, killer band. all done on analogue tape, brilliant. I am so excited I am travelling around the country, once is not going to be enough to see these magnificent musicians with our very own Guy Sebastian. Green Onions has always been my favourite since I was young & I never dreamed I would get to see this total combination together, Bring back the Soul.

[clubagogo1234]

Thank for put to Booker T. named as "the sound of Memphis" join others.

Willy. Music from Argentina

[guysebastiansforum]

THE MEMPHIS ALBUM, Guy Sebastian superb 4th Album, out now WITH THE MGS.

THE MEMPHIS TOUR of Australia with the original MGS, Steve Cropper, Duck Dunn, Lester Snell & Steve Potts in Feb/March 2008 is Booking Now

[deckape1956]

thats it baby!!!!

[surfocaster]

Thank you!

[nuraxis]

Great music..

[RootKick]

I really doubt Booker T wrote this. Mostly Steve Cropper.

[tvfats]

I used to work just above this studio at KHJ-TV in the traffic department...Ceiling mounted speakers were just under the floor and they would shake my entire office whenever they were taping...but we always knew when Tina Turner was in the house...it was like an eight on the richter scale...we'd scurry down to the studio and watch her reheaarse with the Ikettes...she would watch take after take and tell them how to improve their presentation...Ah, the memories of 5515 Melrose Ave in Hollywood!

[leemann1941]

WOW! Lucky you. Booker T. & The MGs is my favorite R&B Soul group. I think I now have every Album & CD released by them. Now I am collecting all the Music Video by them I can find. I have a good start so check out my Favorties List. I play organ & always tryed to sound like them when I was performing there tunes.

[guadelupe]

tvfats : I grew up in SoCal and remember 9th Street West (the dance show with Sam Riddle). It was pretty cool.

[htjw44]

Like...wow man, like...coolsville! Another toke?

[hendrixqwe]

i saw booker t this year, and green onions

has changed a little bit

[CrowdPleeza]

I bet this song sounds even better with weed :)

[SeanLarkinStreet]

Don't you think this tune is way to high on tempo for Gardening:)

[milnzi81]

obviously mimed

[SpAzOr]

there probably 102 years old by now, have fun.

[alfredollanos]

Booker T wrote this at high scholl.

He´s sixtie-something...

[jamesdelude]

the women are sexy shut up!

[wmbrown6]

What would be a name for the dance moves from the two girls seen after 2:24 would be - "Pat-a-Cake via Debbie Drake"? Sure is hypnotic, I'll say that . . .

[CrowdPleeza]

Yeah I enjoyed the women to ;)

[wmbrown6]

In a sense, among the RKO stations, it figures KHJ's studios would house this show - given its New York sister WOR's reputed "cheapness" in production values, graphics and elsewhere. (When William F. Buckley's "Firing Line" was produced at WOR from 1966-71, the background was black - I suppose to cover up either the Joe Franklin or "Romper Room" sets - in contrast to the blue background on his post-1971 public TV episodes.)

[wmbrown6]

P.S. Did WOR ever air "Hollywood a Go-Go" - and if it didn't, did WNEW-TV or WPIX?

[openyourmind25]

i could go without the people dancing in front, but thats just me

[tropicalpancake56]

THE JAM OF THE 60's! Summer!

[Simski19]

Omg I love this song so bad ^_^

[gordoarcane]

timeless...

[Ben606]

One of the greatest instrumental groups of all time. Steve Cropper, Al Jackson Jr., Booker T. Jones & Donald "Duck" Dunn are amazing! Long live Stax!

[wmbrown6]

Although when "Green Onions" was first recorded in 1962, Lewie Steinberg was the bassist (and credited as co-writer with Jones, Cropper and Jackson); Dunn didn't join until a bit later.

[isbadu]

i can remember my oldest brother playing this song on 45 rpm to death!!! good to see this video...and the song still sounds great. thanks for sharing.

[jumbosilverette]

Wonderful. Thanks.

[Cherokee6194159]

Great studio group,thanks for posting host.