Steve Cropper, guitarist of the soul group Booker T & the MGs, has died aged 84
Steve Cropper, the renowned guitarist with the seminal soul group Booker T & the MGs, has died at the age of 84.
The guitar virtuoso, who performed on and collaborated on writing the classic song Sittin' On the Dock of the Bay and the hit track In the Midnight Hour, passed away recently in Nashville.
Often cited among the finest studio bands in soul and R&B, the four-piece band Booker T & the MGs was the core musical unit of the historic Memphis label Stax/Volt 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 late '70s and performed on their popular rendition of Soul Man.
"Steve was a cherished musician, songwriter, and producer whose extraordinary talent touched millions of lives 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 be remembered through his music," they added.
A specific cause was not released at this time.
A friend, Eddie Gore, mentioned 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 commented. "We were fortunate to have him, for sure."
A Prolific Career
Named the number two guitarist of all time by a UK publication in 1996, Cropper began working at the Stax label in 1961 at the age of 20.
A year later, the MGs came together, featuring 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 seen myself as a rhythm guitarist," Cropper remarked in a past interview. "I enjoy the fact that I can play something repeatedly, while other guitar players don't want to even know about that. They are reluctant to repeat the same lick twice."
In addition to being a guitarist, Cropper was a prolific songwriter, and besides 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 "involved in the majority of record issued by Stax from 1961 through the end of 1970".
"We would truly spend long days in the studio," Cropper noted in an interview. "I think we had 17 or 18 artists signed to the label, so we had a extremely demanding schedule."
