I only saw Stax Records house band Booker T & the MG’s in concert one time, but it was a spectacular and very memorable show! The group played a date in 1993 at Sully’s in Dearborn, booked by the late, great Jimmy Lessnau, who owned the venue from 1982 to 1995. Still featuring founding members Booker T. Jones on Hammond B3 organ, Steve Cropper on guitar, and Donald “Duck” Dunn on bass (with drummer Anton Fig sitting in for Al Jackson Jr., who died in 1975), the quartet blew the roof off of Sully’s with sensational, funky renditions of classics like “Green Onions,” Hip Hug-Her” and much more. Steve Cropper passed away last December at the age of 84, but did record a final album entitled “Watching the Tide,” which I’ll feature this Sunday on Fine Tuning. With special guests Eric Clapton, Brian May, Ron Wood and Billy Gibbons, the album is a crowning achievement in Cropper’s storied career. Fine Tuning: Sundays from 4 to 6 p.m. on ann arbor’s 107one.
