It's impossible to imagine Southern soul existing at all without the powerful input of Booker T. & the MG's, one of the grittiest and most precise rhythm sections in the history of pop music. The MGs were the house band for Stax Records and its imprints Volt and Chalice, and played on virtually everything the label released, backing Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, Wilson Pickett and any other Stax artist one can think of, and managed as well to release 23 singles and 11 albums under their own name between 1962 and 1971. The core lineup included keyboardist Booker T. Jones, guitarist Steve Cropper, drummer Al Jackson, Jr., and bassist Donald