🔗 Share this article Legendary guitarist Steve Cropper, musician of the famed band Booker T & the MGs, dies at the age of 84 Steve Cropper formed the backbone of the in-house studio band of the pioneering Memphis label Stax Records. The legendary guitarist Steve Cropper, the acclaimed guitarist with the seminal soul group Booker T & 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, died recently in Nashville. Often cited among the greatest backing bands in the history of soul music, the group the MGs was the core musical unit of the historic Memphis label Stax and is best remembered for their 1962 instrumental track Green Onions. Cropper went on to join the blues revival band The Blues Brothers in the late 1970s and performed on their hit cover of Soul Man. "Steve was a beloved guitarist, composer, and producer whose extraordinary talent impacted millions of lives around the world," his family stated in a message. "While we mourn the loss of a loved one and companion, 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 colleague, Eddie Gore, mentioned he was with Cropper on Tuesday in Nashville, where the guitarist had been working on new music. "He's such a wonderful human," Gore commented. "We were lucky to have him, for sure." Steve Cropper, right, with artists Sheryl Crow and Eddie Floyd. An Illustrious Journey Named the runner-up for guitarist of all time by a British music magazine in 1996, Cropper first found employment at Stax in 1961 at the age of 20. A year later, the MGs came together, consisting of keyboardist Booker T Jones, drummer Al Jackson and bassist Lewie Steinberg - who was succeeded by Donald "Duck" Dunn in 1964. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992. "I've always considered myself to be a player who focuses on rhythm," Cropper remarked in a past interview. "I take pride in the fact that I can play something consistently, while other guitar players avoid that approach. They refuse to play the same riff twice." As well as 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 historical accounts, he was "involved in virtually every record issued by Stax from the fall of 1961 through 1970". "We would literally spend long days in the studio," Cropper said. "I think we had a roster of artists signed to the label, so we had a extremely demanding schedule."