Steve Cropper, musician of Booker T and the MGs, has passed away at the age of 84
Steve Cropper, the renowned guitarist with Booker T and the MGs, has left us at the age of 84.
The musician, who contributed to and collaborated on writing the classic song Sittin' On the Dock of the Bay and the hit track In the Midnight Hour, died on Wednesday in the city of Nashville.
Often cited among the best supporting groups in soul music, the group the MGs was the resident studio band of the influential Memphis label Stax and is best remembered for their 1962 instrumental track Green Onions.
Cropper also joined the comedy music group The Blues Brothers in the 1970s and performed on their hit cover of Soul Man.
"Steve was a deeply admired guitarist, composer, and producer whose immense talent touched generations around the world," his family said in a statement.
"While we mourn the loss of a husband, father, and friend, we are consoled knowing that Steve will be remembered through his music," they continued.
A cause of death was not disclosed.
An associate, Eddie Gore, stated he was with Cropper on Tuesday in Nashville, where the guitarist had been working on fresh material.
"He's such a kind human," Gore commented. "We were fortunate to have him, for sure."
A Prolific Career
Voted the number two 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, 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 inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992.
"I've always seen myself as a rhythm player," Cropper explained in a previous conversation. "I get off on the fact that I can play something repeatedly, while other guitar players wouldn't consider it. They are reluctant to repeat the same riff twice."
In addition to being a guitarist, Cropper was a productive songwriter, and besides Dock of the Bay and In the Midnight Hour, he co-wrote Eddie Floyd's hit Knock on Wood.
According to available information, he was "a part of the majority of record released by Stax from 1961 through year end 1970".
"We would truly spend 15 hours a day in the studio," Cropper said. "I think we had 17 or 18 artists we worked with, so we had a pretty busy schedule."
