🔗 Share this article Steve Cropper, guitarist of Booker T and the MGs, has passed away aged 84 Steve Cropper formed the backbone of the in-house studio band of the influential Memphis label Stax Records. Steve Cropper, the renowned guitarist with the seminal soul group Booker T & the MGs, has left us at the age of 84. The musician, who played on and co-wrote the classic song Sittin' On the Dock of the Bay and the hit track In the Midnight Hour, succumbed on Wednesday in Music City, Nashville. Widely regarded among the finest supporting groups in the history of soul music, the group Booker T. Jones and the MGs was the resident studio band of the historic Memphis label Stax and is primarily known for their 1962 instrumental track Green Onions. Cropper went on to join the blues revival band The Blues Brothers in the 1970s and performed on their successful version of Soul Man. "Steve was a cherished guitarist, composer, and producer whose profound talent inspired millions of lives around the world," his family expressed in a release. "While we grieve the loss of a husband, father, and friend, we are consoled knowing that Steve will be remembered through his music," they continued. A specific cause was not disclosed. A colleague, Eddie Gore, stated he was with Cropper just the day before in Nashville, where the guitarist was in the process of creating new music. "He's such a kind human," Gore commented. "We were fortunate to have him, for sure." Steve Cropper, right, with peers Sheryl Crow and Eddie Floyd. A Prolific Career Ranked the number two guitarist of all time by a British music magazine in 1996, Cropper began working at Stax Records in 1961 at the age of 20. A year later, the MGs were formed, consisting of organist 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 considered myself to be a rhythm guitarist," Cropper explained in a previous conversation. "I take pride in the fact that I can play something consistently, while other guitar players avoid that approach. They won't even play the same lick twice." Not only was he a guitarist, Cropper was a vastly creative songwriter, and besides 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 the majority of record released by Stax from 1961 through the end of 1970". "We would truly spend long days in the studio," Cropper said. "I think we had nearly 20 artists we worked with, so we had a pretty busy schedule."