Al Jackson, Jr. The Drummer Behind Stax Records

Al Jackson Jr. was one of the most iconic R&B drummers in the 1960s.

The soul and R&B hits that came out of Stax Records in the 1960s were some of the biggest hit songs to ever hit the airwaves. And the drummer in the Stax Records house band, the MGs, was none other than Al Jackson, Jr. Al played with Booker T. and the MGs, Otis Redding, and Bill WIthers, just to name a few artists. Al’s drumming became an international success after he appeared on these recordings and some of their live performances. I can only imagine how cool it would have been to be in on some of the classic recording sessions at Stax Records. Now we can enjoy some of the products of Al’s drumming sessions by way of live performances. I hope you enjoy all these shows as much as I did!

Al Jackson Jr. was a part of Booker T. and the MGs. This group was the house band at Stax Records, a successful instrumental group on its own, and the backup band for some of the biggest names in soul and R&B music. Check out this classic performance of Booker’s hit song, “Green onions,” at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVhrT-SftYs.

Al also played with the MGs as the backup band for Otis Redding. Enjoy this rendition of the Stones’ hit song, “Satisfaction,” by Otis Redding at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGv0Thu3Gas.

Finally, Al played drums on one of the most popular songs in the world, Bill Withers’ hit, “Ain’t No Sunshine.” Check out this performance at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHxA9khG3wY.

I hope you enjoyed hearing from one of the most iconic soul and R&B drummers in the history of music, Al Jackson, Jr. There’s more coming your way from Play Drums By Ear, so stay tuned.

Thanks,

Chris