Lewie Steinberg was born in Memphis in 1933. He played trumpet as a young man but moved to bass at the suggestion of his brother Luther, when Luther’s band found itself short of a bass player. In the early sixties he joined Stax Records, where, in 1962, he became bass player for Booker T & the MGs. He played on the first two Booker T albums and, of course, this meant he was the bass player on “Green Onions”. He was replaced by Donald “Duck” Dunn in 1965, but he continued working at Stax from time to time through the sixties.
As a member of the Stax house band, he supported Wilson Pickett, Sam& Dave, Rufus & Carla Thomas, Johnnie Taylor, and Albert King. Significantly, he played on Otis Redding’s 1964 album “Pain in My Heart”, including the single “These Arms of Mine”. He was also a member of Willie Mitchell’s club band that played regularly in Memphis, mainly at the Plantation Inn and the Flamingo Club.
He lived and worked in Memphis for many years. His contribution was recognised by his induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992 and the presentation of a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007. Lewie died in Memphis in 2016.
Lewie Steinberg accepting his Brass Note on Beale Street’s
Walk of Fame Photo: Bridgette Reynolds 2010 (Wikimedia Commons)
Header Image: Sheet Music “Green Onions”, with Lewie’s name mis-spelt!
