Legendary guitarist Steve Cropper, member of Booker T and the MGs, has died aged 84
Steve Cropper, the acclaimed guitarist with the seminal soul group Booker T & the MGs, has died at the age of 84.
The musician, who played on and co-wrote the classic song Sittin' On the Dock of the Bay and the hit track In the Midnight Hour, passed away this past Wednesday in Music City, Nashville.
Widely regarded among the greatest backing bands in soul music, the four-piece band the MGs was the resident studio band of the influential Memphis label Stax and is best remembered for their 1962 track Green Onions.
Cropper went on to join the comedy music group The Blues Brothers in the 1970s and played on their popular rendition of Soul Man.
"Steve was a beloved musician, songwriter, and producer whose extraordinary talent inspired generations around the world," his family stated in a release.
"While we mourn the loss of a husband, father, and friend, we take solace knowing that Steve will live forever through his music," they added.
A specific cause was not released at this time.
An associate, Eddie Gore, stated he was with Cropper on Tuesday in Nashville, where the guitarist was in the process of creating fresh material.
"He's such a good human," Gore said. "We were lucky to have him, for sure."
A Prolific Career
Named the number two guitarist of all time by a music periodical in 1996, Cropper started his career at the Stax label 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 succeeded by Donald "Duck" Dunn in 1964.
The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992.
"I've always thought of myself as a rhythm player," Cropper explained in a past interview. "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 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 historical accounts, he was "integral to the majority of record put out by Stax from the fall of 1961 through the end of 1970".
"We would literally spend marathon sessions in the studio," Cropper once recalled. "I think we had 17 or 18 artists on the roster, so we had a extremely demanding schedule."
