Steve Cropper, guitarist of Booker T and the MGs, has died aged 84
Esteemed musician Steve Cropper, the celebrated guitarist with Booker T and the MGs, has passed away at the age of 84.
The guitar virtuoso, who contributed to and co-wrote Otis Redding's Sittin' On the Dock of the Bay and the hit track In the Midnight Hour, succumbed on Wednesday in the city of Nashville.
Widely regarded among the greatest studio bands in soul music, the group Booker T & the MGs was the house band of the groundbreaking Memphis label Stax/Volt and is most famous for their 1962 instrumental track Green Onions.
Cropper later became a member of the John Belushi-Dan Aykroyd act The Blues Brothers in the late 1970s and featured on their popular rendition of Soul Man.
"Steve was a deeply admired musician, songwriter, and producer whose immense talent impacted generations around the world," his family said in a message.
"While we grieve the loss of a husband, father, and friend, we find comfort knowing that Steve will be remembered through his music," they noted.
A specific cause was not immediately known.
A colleague, Eddie Gore, recalled he was with Cropper on Tuesday in Nashville, where the guitarist had been working on fresh material.
"He's such a wonderful human," Gore commented. "We were lucky to have him, for sure."
A Storied Musical Path
Named the runner-up for guitarist of all time by a UK publication in 1996, Cropper first found employment at Stax in 1961 at the age of 20.
A year later, the MGs were formed, featuring organist Booker T Jones, drummer Al Jackson and bassist Lewie Steinberg - who was succeeded 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 rhythm player," Cropper said in a previous conversation. "I enjoy the fact that I can play something consistently, while other guitar players avoid that approach. They refuse to play the same lick twice."
In addition to being a guitarist, Cropper was a productive songwriter, and besides 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 "involved in virtually every record released by Stax from the fall of 1961 through the end of 1970".
"We would often spend long days in the studio," Cropper said. "I think we had nearly 20 artists we worked with, so we had a extremely demanding schedule."
