🔗 Share this article The iconic guitarist Steve Cropper, member of the soul group Booker T & the MGs, has died at the age of 84 Steve Cropper served as a key member of the resident musical group of the pioneering Memphis label Stax Records. Esteemed musician Steve Cropper, the acclaimed guitarist with Booker T and the MGs, has left us at the age of 84. The guitar virtuoso, who performed on and collaborated on writing Otis Redding's Sittin' On the Dock of the Bay and the hit track In the Midnight Hour, passed away recently in the city of Nashville. Considered among the best studio bands in soul and R&B, the group the MGs was the core musical unit of the historic Memphis label Stax and is most famous for their 1962 track Green Onions. Cropper went on to join the blues revival band The Blues Brothers in the 1970s and performed on their hit cover of Soul Man. "Steve was a deeply admired artist, writer, and producer whose profound talent impacted generations around the world," his family expressed in a message. "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 added. A reason for his passing was not disclosed. An associate, Eddie Gore, recalled he was with Cropper just the day before 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." Steve Cropper, pictured on the right, with fellow musicians Sheryl Crow and Eddie Floyd. A Storied Musical Path Named the number two guitarist of all time by a British music magazine in 1996, Cropper first found employment at Stax Records in 1961 at the age of 20. A year later, the MGs came together, comprising keyboardist 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 thought of myself as a rhythm player," Cropper said 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 won't even play the same phrase twice." As well as a guitarist, Cropper was a vastly creative songwriter, and in addition to Dock of the Bay and In the Midnight Hour, he co-wrote Eddie Floyd's hit Knock on Wood. According to historical accounts, he was "a part of nearly all record put out by Stax from late 1961 through year end 1970". "We would often spend marathon sessions in the studio," Cropper noted in an interview. "I think we had 17 or 18 artists signed to the label, so we had a pretty busy schedule."