The iconic guitarist Steve Cropper, musician of Booker T and the MGs, has died aged 84
The legendary guitarist Steve Cropper, the renowned guitarist with the seminal soul group Booker T & the MGs, has died at the age of 84.
The guitar virtuoso, who performed on and co-wrote Otis Redding's Sittin' On the Dock of the Bay and the hit track In the Midnight Hour, died this past Wednesday in Music City, Nashville.
Widely regarded among the finest studio bands in soul music, the group the MGs was the house band of the historic Memphis label Stax and is most famous for their classic 1962 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 hit cover of Soul Man.
"Steve was a cherished artist, writer, and producer whose immense talent touched generations around the world," his family stated in a statement.
"While we feel sorrow for the loss of a loved one and companion, we take solace knowing that Steve will endure through his music," they added.
A cause of death was not disclosed.
A friend, Eddie Gore, mentioned he was with Cropper recently in Nashville, where the guitarist was developing new songs.
"He's such a good human," Gore commented. "We were fortunate to have him, for sure."
An Illustrious Journey
Ranked the second-best guitarist of all time by a UK publication in 1996, Cropper first found employment at the Stax label in 1961 at the age of 20.
A year later, the MGs were founded, featuring organist Booker T Jones, drummer Al Jackson and bassist Lewie Steinberg - who was replaced by Donald "Duck" Dunn in 1964.
The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992.
"I've always thought of myself as a rhythm guitarist," Cropper said in a past interview. "I enjoy the fact that I can play something consistently, while other guitar players wouldn't consider it. They are reluctant to repeat the same lick 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 historical accounts, he was "integral to virtually every record issued by Stax from the fall of 1961 through 1970".
"We would often spend marathon sessions in the studio," Cropper once recalled. "I think we had nearly 20 artists we worked with, so we had a very hectic schedule."
