Steve Cropper, member of Booker T and the MGs, has passed away at the age of 84
Steve Cropper, the renowned guitarist with the seminal soul group Booker T & the MGs, has passed away at the age of 84.
The musician, who contributed to and helped pen the classic song Sittin' On the Dock of the Bay and the hit track In the Midnight Hour, succumbed on Wednesday in Music City, Nashville.
Considered among the best backing bands in the history of soul music, the quartet Booker T & the MGs was the core musical unit of the historic Memphis label Stax and is primarily known for their 1962 track Green Onions.
Cropper went on to join the comedy music group The Blues Brothers in the late '70s and featured on their popular rendition of Soul Man.
"Steve was a deeply admired guitarist, composer, and producer whose immense talent inspired countless people around the world," his family expressed in a message.
"While we grieve the loss of a husband, father, and friend, we take solace knowing that Steve will live forever through his music," they continued.
A cause of death was not disclosed.
An associate, Eddie Gore, mentioned he was with Cropper just the day before in Nashville, where the guitarist had been working on fresh material.
"He's such a good human," Gore remarked. "We were fortunate to have him, for sure."
A Prolific Career
Named the runner-up for guitarist of all time by a British music magazine in 1996, Cropper began working at Stax Records in 1961 at the age of 20.
A year later, the MGs were formed, comprising keyboardist Booker T Jones, drummer Al Jackson and bassist Lewie Steinberg - who was succeeded by Donald "Duck" Dunn in 1964.
The band was entered into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992.
"I've always seen myself as a player who focuses on rhythm," Cropper explained in a previous conversation. "I take pride in the fact that I can play something consistently, while other guitar players don't want to even know about that. They are reluctant to repeat the same phrase twice."
As well as a guitarist, Cropper was a vastly creative 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 available information, he was "a part of the majority of record put out by Stax from the fall of 1961 through year end 1970".
"We would truly spend long days in the studio," Cropper noted in an interview. "I think we had a roster of artists signed to the label, so we had a very hectic schedule."
