Green Onions

239. "Green Onions" is a 1962 instrumental by Booker T. & the M.G.'s. The song is known for its iconic Hammond organ riff. Songwriting credits go the Stax studio band members, Booker T. Jones, Steve Cropper, Lewis Steinberg and Al Jackson Jr.  The group originally took their name from the British MG sports cars, but when the company expressed disapproval, they claimed the initials stood for "Memphis Group." The story behind the song is that while the band were waiting in the studio for recording a session, Booker T. Jones started playing a blues riff and the other musicians joined in. It was just a jam turned into a hit record. The song title came from what Booker T. thought was something disgusting and should just be thrown away.