Steve Cropper, musician of the soul group Booker T & the MGs, has died at the age of 84
The legendary guitarist Steve Cropper, the acclaimed guitarist with the iconic band Booker T & the MGs, has died at the age of 84.
The musician, who performed on and collaborated on writing the classic song Sittin' On the Dock of the Bay and Wilson Pickett's In the Midnight Hour, died on Wednesday in Nashville.
Often cited 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 best remembered for their 1962 track Green Onions.
Cropper also joined the comedy music group The Blues Brothers in the late 1970s and featured on their hit cover of Soul Man.
"Steve was a cherished musician, songwriter, and producer whose immense talent impacted countless people around the world," his family expressed in a message.
"While we feel sorrow for the loss of a family man and friend, we take solace knowing that Steve will live forever through his music," they continued.
A specific cause was not disclosed.
A friend, Eddie Gore, stated he was with Cropper recently in Nashville, where the guitarist was developing new music.
"He's such a kind human," Gore remarked. "We were fortunate to have him, for sure."
A Prolific Career
Named the second-best 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, featuring keyboardist Booker T Jones, drummer Al Jackson and bassist Lewie Steinberg - who was succeeded by Donald "Duck" Dunn in 1964.
The band was inducted into 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 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 lick twice."
As well as a guitarist, Cropper was a vastly creative songwriter, and besides Dock of the Bay and In the Midnight Hour, he collaborated on Eddie Floyd's hit Knock on Wood.
According to his official biography, he was "a part of the majority of record put out by Stax from the fall of 1961 through 1970".
"We would truly spend long days in the studio," Cropper said. "I think we had a roster of artists we worked with, so we had a extremely demanding schedule."
