🔗 Share this article Steve Cropper, musician of the famed band Booker T & the MGs, has died at the age of 84 Steve Cropper served as a key member of the resident musical group of the pioneering Memphis label Stax Records. Esteemed musician Steve Cropper, the acclaimed guitarist with Booker T and the MGs, has left us at the age of 84. The artist, who contributed to and helped pen the classic song Sittin' On the Dock of the Bay and the hit track In the Midnight Hour, succumbed recently in Nashville. Widely regarded among the greatest supporting groups in the history of soul music, the group Booker T. Jones and the MGs was the resident studio band of the influential Memphis label Stax Records 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 late 1970s and performed on their hit cover of Soul Man. "Steve was a beloved guitarist, composer, and producer whose profound talent inspired generations around the world," his family expressed in a message. "While we feel sorrow for the loss of a family man and friend, we take solace knowing that Steve will be remembered through his music," they added. A reason for his passing was not immediately known. An associate, Eddie Gore, mentioned he was with Cropper recently in Nashville, where the guitarist was in the process of creating fresh material. "He's such a kind human," Gore remarked. "We were blessed to have him, for sure." Steve Cropper, right, with fellow musicians Sheryl Crow and Eddie Floyd. An Illustrious Journey Named the runner-up for guitarist of all time by a UK publication in 1996, Cropper started his career at Stax Records in 1961 at the age of 20. A year later, the MGs were formed, featuring 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 seen myself as a rhythm guitarist," Cropper explained in a past interview. "I enjoy the fact that I can play something over and over, while other guitar players wouldn't consider it. They are reluctant to repeat the same phrase twice." As well as a guitarist, Cropper was a vastly creative songwriter, and besides Dock of the Bay and In the Midnight Hour, he collaborated on Eddie Floyd's hit Knock on Wood. According to available information, he was "a part of the majority of record issued by Stax from late 1961 through 1970". "We would truly spend long days in the studio," Cropper said. "I think we had 17 or 18 artists on the roster, so we had a very hectic schedule."