Legendary guitarist Steve Cropper, guitarist of the famed band Booker T & the MGs, has died aged 84
Esteemed musician Steve Cropper, the renowned guitarist with the iconic band Booker T & the MGs, has passed away 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.
Considered among the greatest supporting groups in the history of soul music, the group the MGs was the resident studio band of the historic Memphis label Stax and is best remembered for their 1962 track Green Onions.
Cropper also joined the blues revival band The Blues Brothers in the late '70s and performed on their popular rendition of Soul Man.
"Steve was a beloved musician, songwriter, and producer whose profound talent impacted millions of lives around the world," his family said in a statement.
"While we feel sorrow for the loss of a family man and friend, we take solace knowing that Steve will endure through his music," they continued.
A specific cause was not disclosed.
A friend, Eddie Gore, recalled he was with Cropper on Tuesday in Nashville, where the guitarist had been working on fresh material.
"He's such a good human," Gore said. "We were blessed to have him, for sure."
A Prolific Career
Voted the number two guitarist of all time by a British music magazine in 1996, Cropper started his career at the Stax label 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 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 player who focuses on rhythm," Cropper remarked in a past interview. "I enjoy the fact that I can play something over and over, while other guitar players avoid that approach. They are reluctant to repeat the same riff twice."
As well as a guitarist, Cropper was a productive songwriter, and besides Dock of the Bay and In the Midnight Hour, he collaborated on Eddie Floyd's hit Knock on Wood.
According to available information, he was "integral to virtually every record issued by Stax from 1961 through the end of 1970".
"We would often spend 15 hours a day in the studio," Cropper said. "I think we had nearly 20 artists we worked with, so we had a pretty busy schedule."
