Legendary guitarist Steve Cropper, guitarist of the famed band Booker T & the MGs, has died at the age of 84
Esteemed musician Steve Cropper, the celebrated guitarist with the iconic band Booker T & the MGs, has left us at the age of 84.
The guitar virtuoso, who played on and collaborated on writing Otis Redding's Sittin' On the Dock of the Bay and Wilson Pickett's In the Midnight Hour, died on Wednesday in Nashville.
Considered among the greatest supporting groups in soul music, the group Booker T. Jones and the MGs was the resident studio band of the historic Memphis label Stax Records and is most famous for their classic 1962 track Green Onions.
Cropper also joined the comedy music group The Blues Brothers in the late 1970s and played on their hit cover of Soul Man.
"Steve was a deeply admired artist, writer, and producer whose immense talent impacted generations around the world," his family stated in a statement.
"While we grieve the loss of a loved one and companion, we take solace knowing that Steve will live forever through his music," they noted.
A reason for his passing was not immediately known.
An associate, Eddie Gore, mentioned he was with Cropper just the day before in Nashville, where the guitarist was in the process of creating fresh material.
"He's such a good human," Gore commented. "We were blessed to have him, for sure."
A Prolific Career
Voted the runner-up for guitarist of all time by a UK publication in 1996, Cropper began working at Stax Records in 1961 at the age of 20.
A year later, the MGs were formed, comprising keyboardist Booker T Jones, drummer Al Jackson and bassist Lewie Steinberg - who was replaced by Donald "Duck" Dunn in 1964.
The band was honored by inclusion in 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 get off on the fact that I can play something repeatedly, while other guitar players don't want to even know about that. They won't even play the same phrase twice."
As well as a guitarist, Cropper was a prolific songwriter, and alongside Dock of the Bay and In the Midnight Hour, he co-wrote Eddie Floyd's hit Knock on Wood.
According to historical accounts, he was "a part of virtually every record put out by Stax from the fall of 1961 through year end 1970".
"We would literally spend 15 hours a day in the studio," Cropper once recalled. "I think we had a roster of artists on the roster, so we had a very hectic schedule."
