The iconic guitarist Steve Cropper, musician of the soul group Booker T & the MGs, has died aged 84
Esteemed musician Steve Cropper, the renowned guitarist with the iconic band Booker T & the MGs, has died at the age of 84.
The guitar virtuoso, who played on and helped pen the classic song Sittin' On the Dock of the Bay and the hit track In the Midnight Hour, died recently in Nashville.
Considered among the greatest studio bands in soul music, the quartet Booker T & the MGs was the core musical unit of the influential Memphis label Stax and is primarily known for their classic 1962 track Green Onions.
Cropper later became a member of the blues revival band The Blues Brothers in the 1970s and performed on their successful version of Soul Man.
"Steve was a cherished artist, writer, and producer whose immense talent touched generations around the world," his family said in a release.
"While we mourn the loss of a husband, father, and friend, we take solace knowing that Steve will be remembered through his music," they continued.
A reason for his passing was not disclosed.
A colleague, Eddie Gore, stated he was with Cropper just the day before in Nashville, where the guitarist was in the process of creating new music.
"He's such a good human," Gore commented. "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 first found employment at the Stax label in 1961 at the age of 20.
A year later, the MGs were formed, 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 entered into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992.
"I've always considered myself to be a rhythm guitarist," Cropper explained in a previous conversation. "I get off on the fact that I can play something over and over, while other guitar players don't want to even know about that. They refuse to play the same phrase twice."
In addition to being a guitarist, Cropper was a prolific 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 historical accounts, he was "integral to nearly all record put out by Stax from late 1961 through 1970".
"We would literally spend marathon sessions in the studio," Cropper said. "I think we had 17 or 18 artists we worked with, so we had a pretty busy schedule."
