The iconic guitarist Steve Cropper, guitarist of Booker T and the MGs, has died aged 84
Steve Cropper, the acclaimed guitarist with Booker T and the MGs, has passed away at the age of 84.
The guitar virtuoso, who performed on and co-wrote the classic song Sittin' On the Dock of the Bay and Wilson Pickett's In the Midnight Hour, passed away on Wednesday in Nashville.
Widely regarded among the finest supporting groups in soul music, the four-piece band Booker T & the MGs was the core musical unit of the groundbreaking Memphis label Stax/Volt and is most famous for their 1962 instrumental track Green Onions.
Cropper went on to join the comedy music group The Blues Brothers in the late '70s and performed on their popular rendition of Soul Man.
"Steve was a beloved artist, writer, and producer whose extraordinary talent impacted generations around the world," his family said in a statement.
"While we grieve the loss of a family man and friend, we are consoled knowing that Steve will be remembered through his music," they noted.
A specific cause was not released at this time.
An associate, Eddie Gore, mentioned he was with Cropper recently in Nashville, where the guitarist was developing new songs.
"He's such a wonderful human," Gore remarked. "We were fortunate to have him, for sure."
A Storied Musical Path
Voted the runner-up for guitarist of all time by a music periodical in 1996, Cropper began working at Stax in 1961 at the age of 20.
A year later, the MGs came together, 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 entered into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992.
"I've always considered myself to be a rhythm guitarist," Cropper remarked in a previous conversation. "I enjoy 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."
Not only was he a guitarist, Cropper was a prolific songwriter, and besides Dock of the Bay and In the Midnight Hour, he collaborated on Eddie Floyd's hit Knock on Wood.
According to historical accounts, he was "a part of virtually every record put out 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 signed to the label, so we had a extremely demanding schedule."
