Steve Cropper, member of Booker T and the MGs, has died aged 84
The legendary guitarist Steve Cropper, the celebrated guitarist with Booker T and the MGs, has passed away at the age of 84.
The musician, who contributed to and co-wrote Otis Redding's Sittin' On the Dock of the Bay and Wilson Pickett's In the Midnight Hour, succumbed recently in Nashville.
Considered among the finest supporting groups in the history of soul music, the quartet the MGs was the resident studio band of the groundbreaking Memphis label Stax and is best remembered for their 1962 track Green Onions.
Cropper went on to join the comedy music group The Blues Brothers in the late 1970s and performed on their successful version of Soul Man.
"Steve was a deeply admired guitarist, composer, and producer whose extraordinary talent touched generations around the world," his family said in a release.
"While we grieve the loss of a family man and friend, we take solace knowing that Steve will endure through his music," they added.
A specific cause was not released at this time.
A colleague, Eddie Gore, mentioned he was with Cropper recently in Nashville, where the guitarist was in the process of creating new songs.
"He's such a kind human," Gore commented. "We were blessed to have him, for sure."
A Prolific Career
Named the second-best 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, consisting of organist Booker T Jones, drummer Al Jackson and bassist Lewie Steinberg - who was replaced by Donald "Duck" Dunn in 1964.
The band was honored by inclusion in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992.
"I've always considered myself to be a player who focuses on rhythm," Cropper remarked in a past interview. "I enjoy the fact that I can play something repeatedly, while other guitar players wouldn't consider it. They are reluctant to repeat the same riff twice."
In addition to being a guitarist, Cropper was a productive songwriter, and alongside Dock of the Bay and In the Midnight Hour, he co-wrote Eddie Floyd's hit Knock on Wood.
According to historical accounts, he was "a part of the majority of record issued by Stax from the fall of 1961 through 1970".
"We would truly spend long days in the studio," Cropper once recalled. "I think we had nearly 20 artists on the roster, so we had a extremely demanding schedule."
