🔗 Share this article Steve Cropper, guitarist of the soul group Booker T & the MGs, dies at the age of 84 Steve Cropper formed the backbone of the resident musical group of the seminal Memphis label Stax Records. Steve Cropper, the celebrated guitarist with the seminal soul group Booker T & the MGs, has passed away at the age of 84. The guitar virtuoso, who played on and co-wrote the classic song Sittin' On the Dock of the Bay and Wilson Pickett's In the Midnight Hour, died on Wednesday in Nashville. Widely regarded among the best supporting groups in soul music, the four-piece band Booker T. Jones and the MGs was the core musical unit of the historic Memphis label Stax Records and is best remembered for their 1962 instrumental track Green Onions. Cropper also joined the John Belushi-Dan Aykroyd act The Blues Brothers in the late 1970s and featured on their popular rendition of Soul Man. "Steve was a cherished artist, writer, and producer whose profound talent impacted generations around the world," his family said in a statement. "While we feel sorrow for the loss of a husband, father, and friend, we find comfort knowing that Steve will endure through his music," they continued. A specific cause was not disclosed. An associate, Eddie Gore, mentioned he was with Cropper just the day before in Nashville, where the guitarist was developing new music. "He's such a kind human," Gore said. "We were fortunate to have him, for sure." Steve Cropper, pictured on the right, with artists Eddie Floyd and Sheryl Crow. A Storied Musical Path Ranked the runner-up for 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 founded, comprising 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 said in a previous conversation. "I get off on the fact that I can play something consistently, while other guitar players avoid that approach. They won't even play the same phrase twice." Not only was he a guitarist, Cropper was a prolific songwriter, and in addition to Dock of the Bay and In the Midnight Hour, he collaborated on Eddie Floyd's hit Knock on Wood. According to his official biography, he was "a part of virtually every record released by Stax from 1961 through year end 1970". "We would truly spend marathon sessions in the studio," Cropper noted in an interview. "I think we had 17 or 18 artists on the roster, so we had a pretty busy schedule."