Let’s start by stating the obvious: you DO NOT want to miss this show! Why? First a little history. The epicenters of ’60s R&B were, of course, Detroit, home to Motown, and Memphis, home to Stax Records. Truly legendary artists called Stax home: Otis Redding, Sam and Dave, Wilson Pickett, Eddie Floyd and Rufus and Carla Thomas, amongst others. The backing band on these recordings, The Mar-Keys, stood shoulder to shoulder with other all-star studio bands of the day, the Funk Brothers, the Wrecking Crew and the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section. The Mar-Keys legacy was further enhanced by extensions such as Booker T & the M.G.s, led by musical prodigy, and the creator of the most iconic Hammond B3 part in history (“Green Onions”), Booker T. Jones.

American instrumental R&B/funk band Booker T. & the M.Gs were at the centre of shaping the sound of Southern soul and Memphis soul. In addition to appearing on hundreds of recordings, Booker T. Jones is a four-time Grammy winner, a Grammy lifetime achievement recipient, a memoir author (Time is Tight: My Life, Note by Note, 2019), and the producer of records by Bill Withers, Rita Coolidge and Willie Nelson. Booker T’s Stax Revue brings the funky with a 10-piece band featuring three vocalists, horns and a crack rhythm section. Harkening back to the 1967 Stax/Volt Revue tour of Europe, this may be the most toe-tapping repertoire you ever encounter. For those of us who did not attend this show in Calgary last year, this will be a do-over of the finest calibre.

— Jay Nelson