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Donald “Duck” Dunn sadly passed away earlier today in Tokyo, Japan. As a member of the Stax Records house band, Booker T. and the MGs, Dunn played bass on some of the most memorable songs of the 1960s, behind such legendary singers as Otis Redding, Sam and Dave, and Wilson Pickett.

Fellow Booker T. and the MGs member, Steve Cropper, announced the death of his friend on Facebook with the following message:

Dunn was born on November 24, 1941 in Memphis, Tennessee, and began playing bass at the age of 16. In the late 1950s, he formed a band called the Royal Spades with his school friend Steve Cropper and other local musicians. The Royal Spades would soon change their name to the Mar-Keys and sign a deal with Atlantic Records, scoring a number three hit with “Last Night”. Booker T. and the MGs were one of the groups spawned from the Mar-Keys in the early ’60s, but Dunn was not an original member. He joined in 1964, replacing bassist Lewie Steinberg.

Donald Dunn (far right) with Booker T. and the MGs

Dunn’s bass lines were an important component of the so-called Stax sound, helping create some truly great recordings. Here’s four classic songs on which he appears:

“Knock On Wood” – Eddie Floyd

“In the Midnight Hour” – Wilson Pickett

“Hold On, I’m Coming” (live) – Sam and Dave

“Try a Little Tenderness” (live) – Otis Redding

The last two clips were taken from the Stax/Volt European tour of 1967, during which Booker T. and the MGs backed Otis Redding, Arthur Conley, Sam and Dave, and Eddie Floyd. They also showcased some of their own hits, including “Green Onions,” with Dunn playing the bass part that Lewis Steinberg had played on the studio recording.

“Green Onions” (live) – Booker T. and the MGs

As well as providing expert backing to some of the finest soul acts of the 1960s, Booker T. and the MGs continued to record solo material, including the album “McLemore Avenue,” which was an instrumental version of The Beatles’ “Abbey Road”.

Dunn remained a busy live and session performer after the Stax heyday, playing behind the likes of Eric Clapton, Jerry Lee Lewis, Neil Young, Stevie Nicks, Tom Petty, Rod Stewart, Bob Dylan, and the Blues Brothers Band. He received a lifetime achievement Grammy in 2007 and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992 as a member of the MGs.

Donald Dunn is survived by his wife, June; son, Jeff; and grandchild, Michael.

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