The iconic guitarist Steve Cropper, member of the famed band Booker T & the MGs, has died aged 84
Esteemed musician Steve Cropper, the renowned guitarist with the seminal soul group Booker T & the MGs, has died at the age of 84.
The musician, who played on and collaborated on writing Otis Redding's Sittin' On the Dock of the Bay and Wilson Pickett's In the Midnight Hour, passed away this past Wednesday in the city of Nashville.
Often cited among the finest supporting groups in the history of soul music, the four-piece band Booker T & the MGs was the resident studio band of the groundbreaking Memphis label Stax/Volt and is best remembered for their 1962 track Green Onions.
Cropper also joined the John Belushi-Dan Aykroyd act The Blues Brothers in the late 1970s and played on their popular rendition of Soul Man.
"Steve was a deeply admired guitarist, composer, and producer whose immense talent impacted generations around the world," his family expressed in a release.
"While we feel sorrow for the loss of a loved one and companion, we are consoled knowing that Steve will endure through his music," they noted.
A cause of death was not released at this time.
A friend, Eddie Gore, stated he was with Cropper recently in Nashville, where the guitarist was developing new music.
"He's such a good human," Gore commented. "We were lucky to have him, for sure."
An Illustrious Journey
Ranked the number two guitarist of all time by a UK publication in 1996, Cropper first found employment at Stax Records in 1961 at the age of 20.
A year later, the MGs were founded, comprising organist 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 seen myself as a rhythm player," Cropper explained in a past interview. "I get off on the fact that I can play something consistently, while other guitar players avoid that approach. They are reluctant to repeat the same lick twice."
In addition to being a guitarist, Cropper was a productive songwriter, and besides Dock of the Bay and In the Midnight Hour, he co-wrote Eddie Floyd's hit Knock on Wood.
According to his official biography, he was "integral to virtually every record issued by Stax from the fall of 1961 through the end of 1970".
"We would literally spend long days in the studio," Cropper said. "I think we had nearly 20 artists on the roster, so we had a very hectic schedule."
