The iconic guitarist Steve Cropper, musician of Booker T and the MGs, dies at the age of 84
Steve Cropper, the renowned guitarist with Booker T and the MGs, has died at the age of 84.
The artist, who contributed to and co-wrote the classic song Sittin' On the Dock of the Bay and Wilson Pickett's In the Midnight Hour, passed away recently in Music City, Nashville.
Often cited among the greatest backing bands in soul music, the group the MGs was the house band of the historic Memphis label Stax/Volt and is most famous for their 1962 track Green Onions.
Cropper went on to join the John Belushi-Dan Aykroyd act The Blues Brothers in the late '70s and featured on their hit cover of Soul Man.
"Steve was a deeply admired artist, writer, and producer whose immense talent inspired generations around the world," his family expressed in a message.
"While we grieve the loss of a loved one and companion, we find comfort knowing that Steve will endure through his music," they noted.
A specific cause was not released at this time.
An associate, Eddie Gore, stated he was with Cropper just the day before in Nashville, where the guitarist was developing new music.
"He's such a good human," Gore said. "We were blessed to have him, for sure."
A Prolific Career
Ranked the second-best guitarist of all time by a music periodical in 1996, Cropper started his career at Stax 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 replaced by Donald "Duck" Dunn in 1964.
The band was entered into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992.
"I've always thought of myself as a rhythm player," Cropper remarked in a past interview. "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 are reluctant to repeat the same lick twice."
As well as a guitarist, Cropper was a prolific songwriter, and in addition to Dock of the Bay and In the Midnight Hour, he helped write Eddie Floyd's hit Knock on Wood.
According to his official biography, he was "a part of virtually every record issued by Stax from 1961 through year end 1970".
"We would literally spend long days in the studio," Cropper noted in an interview. "I think we had nearly 20 artists on the roster, so we had a extremely demanding schedule."
