Steve Cropper, Iconic Booker T & the M.G.’s Guitarist, Dies at 84
Legendary guitarist Steve Cropper, renowned for his influential work with iconic artists such as Otis Redding and Wilson Pickett, passed away on December 3 in Nashville at the age of 84. His son, Stephen Cropper, shared the heartbreaking news on Facebook, reflecting on his father’s remarkable life and the joy he brought to countless fans through his music. Cropper’s contributions to the music industry are immeasurable, as he was not only a masterful guitarist but also a prolific songwriter and producer. He played a pivotal role in shaping the sound of soul and R&B music during the 1960s, particularly as a member of Booker T. & the M.G.’s, Stax Records’ house band.
Cropper’s guitar work is featured on an array of classic tracks, including Redding’s iconic “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay,” Eddie Floyd’s “Knock on Wood,” and Sam & Dave’s “Soul Man,” the latter of which immortalized Cropper with the ad-lib “Play It, Steve.” His unique style, characterized by a ringing, spare sound, brought depth and character to these timeless hits. In addition to his musical prowess, Cropper’s role in a racially integrated band during the civil rights movement was significant. As part of a multiracial group, Cropper and his fellow musicians at Stax Studios challenged the prevailing racial norms of the South, creating a lasting legacy of equality and collaboration in music.
Throughout his career, Cropper received numerous accolades, including induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1992 and the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2005. He won two Grammy Awards, with his work on “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay” earning him one of the most coveted honors in music. Cropper experienced a resurgence in popularity in 1979 when he collaborated with John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd for “The Blues Brothers,” suggesting a more danceable approach to their music that reintroduced classic songs like “Soul Man” to a new audience. His family and industry peers have expressed profound gratitude for his contributions, emphasizing that Cropper’s influence will resonate for generations to come. He is survived by his wife, Angel, and four children, leaving behind a legacy that has shaped the very fabric of American music.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMjuoHYJ39E
Legendary guitarist
Steve Cropper,
who played on seminal recordings by such artists as
Otis Redding
, Booker T & the M.G.’s, Wilson Pickett and many more, died Wednesday (Dec. 3) in Nashville. He was 84.
Cropper’s son confirmed his father’s death on Facebook. “It’s with the heaviest of hearts that I share the news that my amazing Dad passed away this morning,” Stephen Cropper posted. “He certainly lived an incredible life and enjoyed every minute of entertaining you all. Please lift prayers of comfort for my family.”
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As the guitarist for Booker T & the M.G.’s, which served as Stax Records’ house band during the 1960s, Cropper was an architect of the sound, with his ringing, often spare guitar work and deft touch heard on R&B and pop classics including Redding’s “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay,” Eddie Floyd’s “Knock on Wood,” Pickett’s “In the Midnight Hour” and
Sam & Dave’
s “Soul Man” (Sam Moore immortalized Cropper with his “Play It, Steve,” ad lib on “Soul Man”).
“Steve Cropper was a towering figure in the history of rock and R&B,” says
Steve Greenberg
, reissue producer of 1991’s Grammy-winning
The Complete Stax-Volt Singles
box set, who frequently worked with Cropper. “As one of the all-time great electric guitarists, his unique playing style brought deep character to hits ranging from ‘Green Onions’ to ‘Dock of the Bay’ to Rod Stewart’s ‘Tonight’s the Night.’ Add to that his songwriting and production on classics like ‘In the Midnight Hour,’ ‘Knock on Wood’ and, of course, ‘Dock of the Bay,’ and Steve Cropper goes down as one of the key creators of popular music in the 1960s.”
Greenberg also notes the role of Cropper and the band in a racially divisive time. “Steve, along with Duck Dunn, Al Jackson and Booker T. Jones, recording as Booker T. and the M.G.’s, were the rare mutiracial group that dared defy the South’s awful color line in the early ’60s. Working together at Stax Studios in segregated Memphis during the most tumultuous years of the civil right movement, they, in a spirit of equality and fraternity, created an indelible body of American music.”
Cropper, who was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1992 as a member of Booker T & the M.G.’s, and the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2005, was also a noted producer, telling
The New York Times
in 2018 that he finished producing “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay” under great duress following Redding’s death in a plane crash in 1967. “If I had a week to work on it, it probably would have been overembellished,” he said. Instead, he finished it in less than 24 hours.
The song earned Cropper one his two Grammys, winning for best rhythm & blues song at the 1969 ceremony. Cropper was nominated for nine Grammys, including most recently in 2024 for best contemporary blues album for his set,
Friendlytown.
In addition to “Dock of the Bay,” he won at the 1995 ceremony for best pop instrumental performance for the Booker T. & the M.G.’s track “Cruisin’.”
Cropper experienced a renaissance in 1979 when
The Blues Brothers
emerged. He got a phone call from John Belushi, who was half of the fictional blues duo Jake and Elwood Blues, with his “brother,” Dan Aykroyd, and recorded with the pair and made a suggestion that was golden. “What they wanted to do probably would have made it anyway, I don’t know, was basically all slow, kind of medium-tempo blues songs. Nothing wrong with blues songs, but there was nothing in there commercial to dance to,” Cropper recalled in an interview for the
Musicians Hall of Fame & Museum
in 2019.
“So, at the end of the rehearsal one day I said, ‘John, why don’t you do something you can dance to?’ He said, ‘Like what?’ I said, ‘Like Sam & Dave,’” he continued. I looked at [keyboardist] Paul Shaffer and said, ‘Remember “Soul Man”?’ and they started going crazy and dancing. So, when they get through with it… John turns around to me and says ‘Steve, I love that song, but it’s too high for me,’ and I just dropped it down.” The remake reached No. 14 on the
Billboard Hot 100
in 1979 and introduced the classic to a new generation.
“Every note he played, every song he wrote, and every artist he inspired ensures that his spirit and artistry will continue to move people for generations to come. and countless musicians and fans whose lives he transformed through his extraordinary gift,” his family said in their statement.
“Steve Cropper’s offerings to American music are significant but his contribution to soul and R&B music are immeasurable,” Pat Mitchell Worley CEO, Soulsville Foundation — which includes the Stax Museum, Stax Music Academy, and Stax Charter School — said in a statement. “As a founding member of Booker T. & the M.G.’s and a cornerstone of the Stax Records sound, his songwriting and guitar work shaped the very language of soul music. A gifted songwriter, producer, and musician, Cropper helped create timeless hits that continue to influence artists and people worldwide. His signature style helped define an era and cemented his legacy as one of the most important guitarists in modern music history.”
Survivors include wife Angel Cropper and children Andrea, Cameron, Stephen and Ashley.
