🔗 Share this article Legendary guitarist Steve Cropper, guitarist of Booker T and the MGs, dies aged 84 Steve Cropper was part of the resident musical group of the influential Memphis label Stax Records. Esteemed musician Steve Cropper, the celebrated guitarist with Booker T and the MGs, has left us at the age of 84. The guitar virtuoso, who contributed to and collaborated on writing the classic song Sittin' On the Dock of the Bay and Wilson Pickett's In the Midnight Hour, passed away on Wednesday in Nashville. Widely regarded among the best supporting groups in the history of soul music, the quartet Booker T & the MGs was the resident studio band of the groundbreaking Memphis label Stax/Volt and is most famous for their classic 1962 track Green Onions. Cropper later became a member of the blues revival band The Blues Brothers in the late '70s and performed on their successful version of Soul Man. "Steve was a deeply admired artist, writer, and producer whose extraordinary talent impacted generations around the world," his family stated in a statement. "While we grieve the loss of a loved one and companion, we take solace knowing that Steve will endure through his music," they noted. A specific cause was not released at this time. An associate, Eddie Gore, stated he was with Cropper on Tuesday in Nashville, where the guitarist had been working on new songs. "He's such a good human," Gore said. "We were lucky to have him, for sure." Steve Cropper, pictured on the right, with peers Eddie Floyd and Sheryl Crow. An Illustrious Journey Named the number two guitarist of all time by a music periodical in 1996, Cropper first found employment at Stax in 1961 at the age of 20. A year later, the MGs were formed, comprising organist Booker T Jones, drummer Al Jackson and bassist Lewie Steinberg - who was replaced 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 said in a previous conversation. "I get off on the fact that I can play something over and over, while other guitar players wouldn't consider it. They refuse to play the same lick twice." Not only was he a guitarist, Cropper was a productive songwriter, and alongside Dock of the Bay and In the Midnight Hour, he collaborated on Eddie Floyd's hit Knock on Wood. According to historical accounts, he was "integral to nearly all record put out by Stax from late 1961 through the end of 1970". "We would often spend marathon sessions in the studio," Cropper once recalled. "I think we had nearly 20 artists on the roster, so we had a very hectic schedule."