"Green Onions" is an instrumental composition written basically by Booker T. Jones when he was 17 but listed as written by Booker T. Jones, Steve Cropper, Lewie Steinberg & Al Jackson Jr.
It was recorded in 1962 by Booker T. & the M.G.'s in Memphis, Tennessee.
The song is described as "one of the most popular instrumental rock and soul songs ever" and as one of "the most popular R&B instrumentals of its era".
The track was originally issued in May 1962 on the Volt label (a subsidiary of Stax Records) as the B-side of "Behave Yourself" on Volt 102; it was quickly reissued in September 1962 as the A-side of Stax 127, and it also appeared on the album Green Onions that same year. The organ sound of the song became a feature of the "Memphis soul sound".
The single had reached #1 on the US Billboard Hot R&B and #3 on the US Billboard Hot 100 & US Cash Box charts.
