🔗 Share this article Legendary guitarist Steve Cropper, musician of the soul group Booker T & the MGs, has passed away at the age of 84 Steve Cropper formed the backbone of the resident musical group of the influential Memphis label Stax Records. Steve Cropper, the celebrated guitarist with the seminal soul group Booker T & the MGs, has left us at the age of 84. The guitar virtuoso, who played on and co-wrote Otis Redding's Sittin' On the Dock of the Bay and the hit track In the Midnight Hour, passed away on Wednesday in Nashville. Often cited among the finest supporting groups in the history of soul music, the four-piece band Booker T & the MGs was the resident studio band of the influential Memphis label Stax and is best remembered for their 1962 instrumental track Green Onions. Cropper went on to join the John Belushi-Dan Aykroyd act The Blues Brothers in the 1970s and played on their hit cover of Soul Man. "Steve was a beloved musician, songwriter, and producer whose immense talent inspired countless people around the world," his family stated in a statement. "While we mourn the loss of a husband, father, and friend, we take solace knowing that Steve will live forever through his music," they noted. A specific cause was not disclosed. An associate, 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 remarked. "We were fortunate to have him, for sure." Steve Cropper, right, with artists Eddie Floyd and Sheryl Crow. A Prolific Career Voted the second-best 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 formed, consisting of organist Booker T Jones, drummer Al Jackson and bassist Lewie Steinberg - who was replaced 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 remarked in a past interview. "I get off on the fact that I can play something consistently, while other guitar players don't want to even know about that. They are reluctant to repeat the same lick twice." As well as a guitarist, Cropper was a vastly creative songwriter, and in addition to Dock of the Bay and In the Midnight Hour, he co-wrote Eddie Floyd's hit Knock on Wood. According to available information, he was "a part of virtually every record released by Stax from late 1961 through year end 1970". "We would truly spend marathon sessions in the studio," Cropper said. "I think we had nearly 20 artists on the roster, so we had a extremely demanding schedule."