Steve Cropper, member of Booker T and the MGs, has died at the age of 84
Esteemed musician Steve Cropper, the renowned guitarist with Booker T and the MGs, has passed away at the age of 84.
The musician, who performed on and co-wrote Otis Redding's Sittin' On the Dock of the Bay and the hit track In the Midnight Hour, succumbed recently in the city of Nashville.
Widely regarded among the best 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 primarily known for their classic 1962 track Green Onions.
Cropper also joined the blues revival band The Blues Brothers in the late 1970s and performed on their successful version of Soul Man.
"Steve was a cherished artist, writer, and producer whose extraordinary talent impacted millions of lives around the world," his family stated in a release.
"While we mourn the loss of a husband, father, and friend, we are consoled knowing that Steve will endure through his music," they added.
A reason for his passing was not immediately known.
A friend, Eddie Gore, recalled he was with Cropper on Tuesday in Nashville, where the guitarist was in the process of creating new songs.
"He's such a kind human," Gore said. "We were blessed to have him, for sure."
An Illustrious Journey
Voted the runner-up for guitarist of all time by a music periodical in 1996, Cropper first found employment at Stax in 1961 at the age of 20.
A year later, the MGs were founded, comprising 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 rhythm guitarist," 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 refuse to 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 co-wrote Eddie Floyd's hit Knock on Wood.
According to available information, he was "integral to nearly all 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 we worked with, so we had a extremely demanding schedule."
