The iconic guitarist Steve Cropper, musician of the famed band Booker T & the MGs, has died aged 84
Steve Cropper, the acclaimed guitarist with Booker T and the MGs, has passed away at the age of 84.
The musician, who contributed to and helped pen Otis Redding's Sittin' On the Dock of the Bay and the hit track In the Midnight Hour, died recently in Nashville.
Considered among the best backing bands in soul and R&B, the group Booker T & the MGs was the house band of the influential Memphis label Stax and is most famous for their 1962 instrumental track Green Onions.
Cropper went on to join the blues revival band The Blues Brothers in the 1970s and performed on their hit cover of Soul Man.
"Steve was a cherished artist, writer, and producer whose immense talent touched millions of lives around the world," his family expressed in a message.
"While we grieve the loss of a husband, father, and friend, we are consoled knowing that Steve will endure through his music," they added.
A specific cause was not immediately known.
An associate, Eddie Gore, recalled he was with Cropper just the day before in Nashville, where the guitarist had been working on new songs.
"He's such a good human," Gore commented. "We were fortunate to have him, for sure."
An Illustrious Journey
Ranked the second-best guitarist of all time by a music periodical in 1996, Cropper began working at Stax Records in 1961 at the age of 20.
A year later, the MGs were formed, comprising organist Booker T Jones, drummer Al Jackson and bassist Lewie Steinberg - who was replaced by Donald "Duck" Dunn in 1964.
The band was entered into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992.
"I've always thought of myself as a rhythm player," Cropper explained in a previous conversation. "I enjoy the fact that I can play something repeatedly, while other guitar players wouldn't consider it. They refuse to play the same lick twice."
In addition to being a guitarist, Cropper was a vastly creative songwriter, and in addition to Dock of the Bay and In the Midnight Hour, he helped write Eddie Floyd's hit Knock on Wood.
According to his official biography, he was "involved in the majority of record put out by Stax from late 1961 through the end of 1970".
"We would often spend 15 hours a day in the studio," Cropper noted in an interview. "I think we had a roster of artists on the roster, so we had a very hectic schedule."