🔗 Share this article Steve Cropper, member of the famed band Booker T & the MGs, has died aged 84 Steve Cropper was part of the resident musical group of the pioneering Memphis label Stax Records. Steve Cropper, the celebrated guitarist with the iconic band Booker T & the MGs, has passed away at the age of 84. The artist, who performed on and helped pen Otis Redding's Sittin' On the Dock of the Bay and the hit track In the Midnight Hour, passed away recently in Nashville. Often cited among the finest supporting groups in the history of soul music, the quartet the MGs was the house band of the historic Memphis label Stax/Volt and is most famous for their 1962 track Green Onions. Cropper later became a member of the blues revival band The Blues Brothers in the late '70s and played on their successful version of Soul Man. "Steve was a deeply admired musician, songwriter, and producer whose profound talent impacted generations around the world," his family said in a release. "While we mourn the loss of a loved one and companion, we take solace knowing that Steve will be remembered through his music," they added. A cause of death was not disclosed. A friend, Eddie Gore, mentioned he was with Cropper on Tuesday in Nashville, where the guitarist had been working on fresh material. "He's such a kind human," Gore commented. "We were fortunate to have him, for sure." Steve Cropper, pictured on the right, with artists Eddie Floyd and Sheryl Crow. An Illustrious Journey Ranked the number two guitarist of all time by a British music magazine in 1996, Cropper started his career at the Stax label in 1961 at the age of 20. A year later, the MGs came together, comprising keyboardist 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 seen myself as a rhythm player," Cropper remarked in a past interview. "I get off on the fact that I can play something repeatedly, while other guitar players avoid that approach. They are reluctant to repeat the same riff twice." In addition to being a guitarist, Cropper was a productive songwriter, and alongside Dock of the Bay and In the Midnight Hour, he helped write Eddie Floyd's hit Knock on Wood. According to historical accounts, he was "integral to the majority of record issued by Stax from 1961 through 1970". "We would literally spend 15 hours a day in the studio," Cropper noted in an interview. "I think we had a roster of artists on the roster, so we had a pretty busy schedule."