Legendary guitarist Steve Cropper, member of the famed band Booker T & the MGs, has died at the age of 84
Esteemed musician Steve Cropper, the renowned guitarist with Booker T and the MGs, has left us at the age of 84.
The musician, who played on and collaborated on writing the classic song Sittin' On the Dock of the Bay and Wilson Pickett's In the Midnight Hour, succumbed on Wednesday in the city of Nashville.
Often cited among the greatest studio bands in the history of soul music, the group Booker T. Jones and the MGs was the house band of the influential Memphis label Stax/Volt and is most famous for their classic 1962 track Green Onions.
Cropper also joined the blues revival band The Blues Brothers in the late '70s and played on their successful version of Soul Man.
"Steve was a beloved guitarist, composer, and producer whose profound talent inspired generations around the world," his family stated in a statement.
"While we grieve the loss of a loved one and companion, we are consoled knowing that Steve will endure through his music," they noted.
A specific cause was not disclosed.
An associate, Eddie Gore, recalled he was with Cropper on Tuesday in Nashville, where the guitarist was developing fresh material.
"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 Stax in 1961 at the age of 20.
A year later, the MGs were formed, consisting of organist 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 considered myself to be a rhythm player," Cropper remarked in a previous conversation. "I take pride in the fact that I can play something consistently, while other guitar players avoid that approach. They refuse to play the same riff twice."
In addition to being a guitarist, Cropper was a vastly creative songwriter, and besides Dock of the Bay and In the Midnight Hour, he co-wrote Eddie Floyd's hit Knock on Wood.
According to available information, he was "a part of nearly all record released by Stax from 1961 through year end 1970".
"We would often spend 15 hours a day in the studio," Cropper said. "I think we had a roster of artists signed to the label, so we had a extremely demanding schedule."
