Steve Cropper, musician of Booker T and the MGs, has died aged 84
The legendary guitarist Steve Cropper, the celebrated guitarist with Booker T and the MGs, has passed away at the age of 84.
The musician, who played on and collaborated on writing the classic song Sittin' On the Dock of the Bay and the hit track In the Midnight Hour, passed away on Wednesday in the city of Nashville.
Considered among the best studio bands in the history of soul music, the four-piece band Booker T & the MGs was the core musical unit of the historic Memphis label Stax and is best remembered for their classic 1962 track Green Onions.
Cropper later became a member of the John Belushi-Dan Aykroyd act The Blues Brothers in the 1970s and performed on their hit cover of Soul Man.
"Steve was a deeply admired artist, writer, and producer whose profound talent inspired countless people around the world," his family expressed in a statement.
"While we mourn the loss of a family man and friend, we find comfort knowing that Steve will live forever through his music," they continued.
A reason for his passing was not immediately known.
A colleague, Eddie Gore, mentioned he was with Cropper recently in Nashville, where the guitarist was in the process of creating fresh material.
"He's such a kind human," Gore said. "We were fortunate to have him, for sure."
A Storied Musical Path
Named the number two guitarist of all time by a British music magazine in 1996, Cropper started his career at Stax in 1961 at the age of 20.
A year later, the MGs were formed, featuring keyboardist 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 thought of myself as a player who focuses on rhythm," Cropper remarked in a past interview. "I get off on the fact that I can play something consistently, while other guitar players wouldn't consider it. They won't even play the same phrase twice."
In addition to being a guitarist, Cropper was a prolific songwriter, and alongside 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 issued by Stax from 1961 through the end of 1970".
"We would literally spend 15 hours a day in the studio," Cropper once recalled. "I think we had nearly 20 artists we worked with, so we had a very hectic schedule."
