🔗 Share this article Legendary guitarist Steve Cropper, guitarist of Booker T and the MGs, has died aged 84 Steve Cropper was part of the house band of the influential Memphis label Stax Records. The legendary guitarist Steve Cropper, the celebrated guitarist with the iconic band Booker T & the MGs, has died at the age of 84. The musician, who played on and collaborated on writing 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. Considered among the best supporting groups in soul and R&B, the four-piece band Booker T & the MGs was the house band of the influential Memphis label Stax Records and is primarily known for their classic 1962 track Green Onions. Cropper later became a member of the comedy music group The Blues Brothers in the 1970s and featured on their popular rendition of Soul Man. "Steve was a deeply admired guitarist, composer, and producer whose immense talent impacted millions of lives around the world," his family said in a message. "While we grieve the loss of a family man and friend, we take solace knowing that Steve will be remembered through his music," they continued. A cause of death was not disclosed. A colleague, Eddie Gore, mentioned he was with Cropper recently in Nashville, where the guitarist had been working on new music. "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 Voted 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 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 player," Cropper said in a previous conversation. "I take pride in the fact that I can play something repeatedly, while other guitar players don't want to even know about that. They refuse to play the same phrase twice." In addition to being a guitarist, Cropper was a prolific 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 available information, he was "integral to the majority of record put out by Stax from 1961 through year end 1970". "We would often spend long days in the studio," Cropper noted in an interview. "I think we had 17 or 18 artists on the roster, so we had a very hectic schedule."