The iconic guitarist Steve Cropper, member of Booker T and the MGs, has died at the age of 84
The legendary guitarist Steve Cropper, the celebrated guitarist with the iconic band Booker T & the MGs, has passed away at the age of 84.
The musician, who contributed to and helped pen Otis Redding's Sittin' On the Dock of the Bay and the hit track In the Midnight Hour, passed away this past Wednesday in Music City, Nashville.
Often cited among the greatest supporting groups in soul music, the group Booker T & the MGs was the house band of the historic Memphis label Stax/Volt and is best remembered for their 1962 track Green Onions.
Cropper also joined the blues revival band The Blues Brothers in the late 1970s and performed on their successful version of Soul Man.
"Steve was a cherished artist, writer, and producer whose immense talent touched millions of lives around the world," his family expressed in a statement.
"While we feel sorrow for the loss of a family man and friend, we find comfort knowing that Steve will live forever through his music," they continued.
A specific cause was not disclosed.
A friend, Eddie Gore, recalled he was with Cropper on Tuesday in Nashville, where the guitarist was developing new music.
"He's such a kind human," Gore remarked. "We were blessed to have him, for sure."
A Storied Musical Path
Named the number two guitarist of all time by a music periodical in 1996, Cropper began working at the Stax label in 1961 at the age of 20.
A year later, the MGs were founded, consisting of keyboardist 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 thought of myself as a player who focuses on rhythm," Cropper said in a past interview. "I take pride in the fact that I can play something repeatedly, while other guitar players avoid that approach. They won't even play the same riff twice."
As well as a guitarist, Cropper was a prolific songwriter, and alongside Dock of the Bay and In the Midnight Hour, he helped write Eddie Floyd's hit Knock on Wood.
According to available information, he was "integral to nearly all record issued by Stax from 1961 through 1970".
"We would truly spend long days in the studio," Cropper noted in an interview. "I think we had nearly 20 artists we worked with, so we had a very hectic schedule."