Booker T. & The M.G.'s - Name

Name

For many years, the "official" story was that the band name "The M.G.'s" was meant to stand for "Memphis Group", not the MG sports car. However, this has proved not to be the case.

Musician and record producer Chips Moman, active in Stax Records when the band was formed, for many years claimed that the band was named after his MG sports car, and only after he left the label did Stax's publicity department declare that “M.G.” stood for “Memphis Group”. To lend some credibility to this story, Moman had played with Jones in an earlier Stax backing group called the Triumphs, which was also named after his car.

Jones, in an interview on NPR's Fresh Air with Terry Gross, confirmed Moman's account of the group name's origins in 2007. Jones has re-confirmed this story on several occasions since, most recently on a May 9, 2012 appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman.

Stax historian Rob Bowman has averred that the reason the label obscured the story of the meaning of name “The M.G.'s” (and concocted the “Memphis Group” explanation) was to avoid any possible claims of trademark infringement from the manufacturers of the car.