Steve Cropper, musician of Booker T and 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 guitar virtuoso, who performed on and helped pen the classic song Sittin' On the Dock of the Bay and the hit track In the Midnight Hour, succumbed recently in Nashville.
Widely regarded among the best backing bands in the history of soul music, the group the MGs was the core musical unit of the groundbreaking Memphis label Stax and is primarily known for their classic 1962 track Green Onions.
Cropper later became a member of the comedy music group The Blues Brothers in the late '70s and performed on their popular rendition of Soul Man.
"Steve was a beloved artist, writer, and producer whose extraordinary talent inspired generations around the world," his family expressed in a statement.
"While we grieve the loss of a loved one and companion, we take solace knowing that Steve will be remembered through his music," they noted.
A specific cause was not immediately known.
A friend, Eddie Gore, recalled he was with Cropper on Tuesday in Nashville, where the guitarist had been working on new music.
"He's such a good human," Gore remarked. "We were blessed to have him, for sure."
A Prolific Career
Named the number two guitarist of all time by a British music magazine in 1996, Cropper started his career at the Stax label in 1961 at the age of 20.
A year later, the MGs were formed, consisting of keyboardist 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 considered myself to be a rhythm player," Cropper remarked in a past interview. "I get off on the fact that I can play something over and over, while other guitar players avoid that approach. They are reluctant to repeat the same lick twice."
As well as a guitarist, Cropper was a productive songwriter, and in addition to Dock of the Bay and In the Midnight Hour, he collaborated on Eddie Floyd's hit Knock on Wood.
According to historical accounts, he was "a part of virtually every record issued by Stax from late 1961 through the end of 1970".
"We would often spend marathon sessions in the studio," Cropper noted in an interview. "I think we had nearly 20 artists on the roster, so we had a very hectic schedule."
