Soul Limbo

Cricketers everywhere should be bowing their head in respect.  They should take a moment from their busy schedules and mourn the passing of someone special to the game.  The world of cricket is touched once again by mortality and Old Father Time has descended from the Pavilion at Lords to take another bright soul who has contributed much to game.

Not that this bright soul knew anything about cricket and he certainly never graced the turf at Lords.  It is unlikely that he which end of a cricket bat to hold.  Which doesn't matter a jot, because he knew which was the business end of a bass guitar.  And as bassist of Booker T and the MGs he provided the foundation sound for that great cricket classic Soul Limbo - BBC's cricket theme tune since the late 1960s.  Never bettered for its ability to evoke the game itself.

Donald Dunn was born in Memphis Tennessee, he was nicknamed Donald Duck by his Dad and while an able sportsman as a boy took up a musical career.  He joined Booker T in 1964.  Soul Limbo was issued in 1968, allegedly based on a song by a  Jamaican musician Byron Lee.  This gives it its Caribbean feel - although the steel drum sound is actually marimbas.  It was instant classic and remains as fresh as a new mown outfield to this day.  It rivals Mahler in FB's affections.

Dunn in 2007

Dunn also played on a whole host of major soul classics with definitive and iconic bass lines - including Midnight Hour by Wilson Pickett, Hold On I'm Comin' by Sam & Dave and Dock of the Bay by Otis Redding.  More recently he played as part of the Blues Brothers following the successful films.  Many songs many hits, but none as great as Soul Limbo,  even though when released as a single it only got to number 17 in the US charts and number 30 in the UK charts.


Booker T is still working, his most recent album was Road from Memphis was released in 2011 and won a Grammy Award.


FB is pleased to lead the thanks of all cricketers to Donald Duck Dunn for his contribution to the game.