🔗 Share this article The iconic guitarist Steve Cropper, guitarist of Booker T and the MGs, dies at the age of 84 Steve Cropper served as a key member of the in-house studio band of the influential Memphis label Stax Records. The legendary guitarist Steve Cropper, the renowned guitarist with the iconic band Booker T & the MGs, has passed away at the age of 84. The musician, who played on and co-wrote Otis Redding's Sittin' On the Dock of the Bay and the hit track In the Midnight Hour, died on Wednesday in the city of Nashville. Often cited among the greatest supporting groups in soul music, the quartet Booker T & the MGs was the core musical unit of the influential Memphis label Stax/Volt and is primarily known for their classic 1962 track Green Onions. Cropper went on to join the John Belushi-Dan Aykroyd act The Blues Brothers in the late '70s and featured on their successful version of Soul Man. "Steve was a beloved guitarist, composer, and producer whose profound talent impacted generations around the world," his family expressed in a message. "While we mourn the loss of a loved one and companion, we take solace knowing that Steve will be remembered through his music," they noted. A specific cause was not disclosed. A colleague, Eddie Gore, recalled he was with Cropper on Tuesday in Nashville, where the guitarist was in the process of creating new songs. "He's such a kind human," Gore commented. "We were lucky to have him, for sure." Steve Cropper, pictured on the right, with artists Eddie Floyd and Sheryl Crow. A Prolific Career Named the runner-up for 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 founded, 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 inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992. "I've always seen myself as a rhythm player," Cropper remarked in a previous conversation. "I get off on the fact that I can play something consistently, while other guitar players wouldn't consider it. They won't even play the same riff twice." Not only was he a guitarist, Cropper was a prolific songwriter, and alongside 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 "integral to the majority of record released by Stax from 1961 through year end 1970". "We would often spend 15 hours a day in the studio," Cropper said. "I think we had a roster of artists on the roster, so we had a very hectic schedule."