Steve Cropper, member of the soul group Booker T & the MGs, has died aged 84
The legendary guitarist Steve Cropper, the celebrated guitarist with the iconic band Booker T & the MGs, has left us at the age of 84.
The guitar virtuoso, who played on and co-wrote the classic song Sittin' On the Dock of the Bay and Wilson Pickett's In the Midnight Hour, succumbed recently in the city of Nashville.
Considered among the greatest supporting groups in soul music, the group Booker T. Jones and the MGs was the core musical unit of the historic Memphis label Stax and is primarily known for their 1962 track Green Onions.
Cropper also joined the comedy music group The Blues Brothers in the 1970s and featured on their hit cover of Soul Man.
"Steve was a cherished guitarist, composer, and producer whose profound talent inspired countless people around the world," his family stated in a release.
"While we mourn the loss of a husband, father, and friend, we find comfort knowing that Steve will endure through his music," they added.
A cause of death was not released at this time.
A colleague, Eddie Gore, recalled he was with Cropper recently in Nashville, where the guitarist had been working on fresh material.
"He's such a kind human," Gore said. "We were fortunate to have him, for sure."
A Storied Musical Path
Ranked the runner-up for guitarist of all time by a music periodical in 1996, Cropper started his career at Stax 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 succeeded 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 enjoy 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 productive songwriter, and in addition to Dock of the Bay and In the Midnight Hour, he helped write Eddie Floyd's hit Knock on Wood.
According to available information, he was "a part of virtually every record released by Stax from 1961 through the end of 1970".
"We would often spend long days in the studio," Cropper said. "I think we had a roster of artists on the roster, so we had a pretty busy schedule."
