The iconic guitarist Steve Cropper, member of the soul group Booker T & 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 artist, who contributed to and helped pen the classic song Sittin' On the Dock of the Bay and the hit track In the Midnight Hour, passed away this past Wednesday in the city of Nashville.
Considered among the best studio bands in the history of soul music, the four-piece band Booker T. Jones and the MGs was the resident studio band of the historic Memphis label Stax Records and is most famous for their 1962 track Green Onions.
Cropper later became a member of the blues revival band The Blues Brothers in the late 1970s and played on their hit cover of Soul Man.
"Steve was a beloved artist, writer, and producer whose extraordinary talent inspired millions of lives around the world," his family said in a release.
"While we grieve the loss of a loved one and companion, we are consoled knowing that Steve will endure through his music," they added.
A cause of death was not disclosed.
A friend, Eddie Gore, recalled he was with Cropper recently in Nashville, where the guitarist was developing new songs.
"He's such a kind human," Gore said. "We were fortunate to have him, for sure."
A Storied Musical Path
Voted the second-best guitarist of all time by a music periodical in 1996, Cropper started his career at Stax Records in 1961 at the age of 20.
A year later, the MGs came together, featuring keyboardist Booker T Jones, drummer Al Jackson and bassist Lewie Steinberg - who was replaced 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 explained in a past interview. "I take pride in the fact that I can play something consistently, while other guitar players wouldn't consider it. They won't even play the same lick twice."
Not only was he a guitarist, Cropper was a productive songwriter, and in addition to 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 "integral to nearly all record put out by Stax from late 1961 through year end 1970".
"We would often spend long days in the studio," Cropper said. "I think we had a roster of artists on the roster, so we had a extremely demanding schedule."