🔗 Share this article The iconic guitarist Steve Cropper, musician of Booker T and the MGs, dies aged 84 Steve Cropper served as a key member of the house band of the seminal Memphis label Stax Records. Steve Cropper, the acclaimed guitarist with the iconic band Booker T & the MGs, has passed away at the age of 84. The artist, who played on and co-wrote the classic song Sittin' On the Dock of the Bay and Wilson Pickett's In the Midnight Hour, succumbed this past Wednesday in Music City, Nashville. Often cited among the greatest studio bands in soul music, the group Booker T. Jones and the MGs was the core musical unit of the historic Memphis label Stax Records and is primarily known for their 1962 instrumental track Green Onions. Cropper later became a member of the comedy music group The Blues Brothers in the late '70s and played on their successful version of Soul Man. "Steve was a cherished artist, writer, and producer whose profound talent inspired generations around the world," his family stated in a release. "While we feel sorrow for the loss of a loved one and companion, we take solace knowing that Steve will live forever through his music," they noted. A reason for his passing was not released at this time. A colleague, Eddie Gore, stated he was with Cropper just the day before in Nashville, where the guitarist was developing fresh material. "He's such a kind human," Gore said. "We were blessed to have him, for sure." Steve Cropper, right, with peers Sheryl Crow and Eddie Floyd. An Illustrious Journey Named the runner-up for guitarist of all time by a UK publication in 1996, Cropper started his career at the Stax label in 1961 at the age of 20. A year later, the MGs were formed, featuring organist Booker T Jones, drummer Al Jackson and bassist Lewie Steinberg - who was replaced 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 player," Cropper explained in a previous conversation. "I get off on the fact that I can play something over and over, while other guitar players avoid that approach. They won't even play the same phrase twice." Not only was he a guitarist, Cropper was a prolific songwriter, and alongside Dock of the Bay and In the Midnight Hour, he collaborated on Eddie Floyd's hit Knock on Wood. According to his official biography, he was "involved in nearly all record put out by Stax from 1961 through the end of 1970". "We would truly spend 15 hours a day in the studio," Cropper said. "I think we had a roster of artists we worked with, so we had a very hectic schedule."