Steve Cropper, member of Booker T and the MGs, has died at the age of 84
Steve Cropper, the celebrated guitarist with Booker T and the MGs, has passed away at the age of 84.
The musician, who played on and helped pen Otis Redding's Sittin' On the Dock of the Bay and the hit track In the Midnight Hour, died on Wednesday in Music City, Nashville.
Often cited among the finest supporting groups in soul music, the quartet Booker T. Jones and the MGs was the core musical unit of the influential Memphis label Stax and is primarily known for their 1962 instrumental track Green Onions.
Cropper later became a member of the comedy music group The Blues Brothers in the late '70s and played on their popular rendition of Soul Man.
"Steve was a deeply admired guitarist, composer, and producer whose extraordinary talent impacted millions of lives around the world," his family said in a message.
"While we mourn the loss of a family man and friend, we take solace knowing that Steve will live forever through his music," they added.
A specific cause was not disclosed.
A friend, Eddie Gore, recalled he was with Cropper just the day before in Nashville, where the guitarist was developing new songs.
"He's such a wonderful human," Gore remarked. "We were fortunate to have him, for sure."
A Storied Musical Path
Ranked the number two guitarist of all time by a music periodical in 1996, Cropper first found employment 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 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 seen myself as a rhythm player," Cropper remarked in a previous conversation. "I get off on the fact that I can play something consistently, while other guitar players don't want to even know about that. They won't even play the same phrase twice."
In addition to being a guitarist, Cropper was a vastly creative 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 the majority of record issued 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 nearly 20 artists on the roster, so we had a pretty busy schedule."
