Legendary guitarist Steve Cropper, guitarist of the famed band Booker T & the MGs, has died aged 84
Esteemed musician Steve Cropper, the renowned guitarist with the seminal soul group Booker T & the MGs, has passed away at the age of 84.
The artist, who played on and helped pen the classic song Sittin' On the Dock of the Bay and Wilson Pickett's In the Midnight Hour, died on Wednesday in Nashville.
Widely regarded among the best backing bands in the history of soul music, the group Booker T & the MGs was the house band of the groundbreaking Memphis label Stax/Volt and is primarily known for their 1962 track Green Onions.
Cropper went on to join the comedy music group The Blues Brothers in the late 1970s and featured on their successful version of Soul Man.
"Steve was a beloved musician, songwriter, and producer whose profound talent inspired millions of lives around the world," his family said in a message.
"While we grieve the loss of a husband, father, and friend, we find comfort knowing that Steve will live forever through his music," they noted.
A specific cause was not released at this time.
A friend, Eddie Gore, recalled he was with Cropper just the day before in Nashville, where the guitarist was developing new songs.
"He's such a wonderful human," Gore said. "We were lucky to have him, for sure."
An Illustrious Journey
Named the number two guitarist of all time by a UK publication in 1996, Cropper first found employment at the Stax label in 1961 at the age of 20.
A year later, the MGs came together, featuring keyboardist Booker T Jones, drummer Al Jackson and bassist Lewie Steinberg - who was replaced by Donald "Duck" Dunn in 1964.
The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992.
"I've always considered myself to be a rhythm player," Cropper explained in a previous conversation. "I enjoy the fact that I can play something consistently, while other guitar players wouldn't consider it. They won't even play the same lick twice."
Not only was he a guitarist, Cropper was a vastly creative songwriter, and besides Dock of the Bay and In the Midnight Hour, he collaborated on Eddie Floyd's hit Knock on Wood.
According to available information, he was "involved in the majority of record released by Stax from 1961 through year end 1970".
"We would often spend marathon sessions in the studio," Cropper said. "I think we had 17 or 18 artists signed to the label, so we had a very hectic schedule."
