🔗 Share this article Legendary guitarist Steve Cropper, musician of Booker T and the MGs, dies at the age of 84 Steve Cropper served as a key member of the resident musical group of the seminal Memphis label Stax Records. Steve Cropper, the renowned guitarist with the iconic band Booker T & the MGs, has passed away at the age of 84. The artist, who contributed to and collaborated on writing Otis Redding's Sittin' On the Dock of the Bay and Wilson Pickett's In the Midnight Hour, died this past Wednesday in the city of Nashville. Often cited among the best backing bands in the history of soul music, the group Booker T & the MGs was the house band of the groundbreaking Memphis label Stax/Volt and is primarily known for their 1962 instrumental track Green Onions. Cropper later became a member of the blues revival band The Blues Brothers in the late '70s and featured on their popular rendition of Soul Man. "Steve was a deeply admired guitarist, composer, and producer whose immense talent inspired generations around the world," his family expressed in a message. "While we grieve the loss of a husband, father, and friend, we find comfort knowing that Steve will live forever through his music," they noted. A cause of death was not released at this time. A friend, Eddie Gore, stated he was with Cropper recently in Nashville, where the guitarist had been working on fresh material. "He's such a good human," Gore remarked. "We were fortunate to have him, for sure." Steve Cropper, pictured on the right, with peers Sheryl Crow and Eddie Floyd. An Illustrious Journey Named the number two guitarist of all time by a British music magazine in 1996, Cropper began working 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 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 repeatedly, while other guitar players wouldn't consider it. They refuse to play the same lick twice." Not only was he a guitarist, Cropper was a vastly creative songwriter, and in addition to Dock of the Bay and In the Midnight Hour, he helped write Eddie Floyd's hit Knock on Wood. According to historical accounts, he was "involved in nearly all record put out by Stax from the fall of 1961 through year end 1970". "We would literally spend 15 hours a day in the studio," Cropper said. "I think we had nearly 20 artists signed to the label, so we had a very hectic schedule."