Steve Cropper, the influential guitarist, songwriter, and producer who shaped Memphis soul music as a member of Booker T. & the M.G.’s and contributed to timeless hits, passed away on Wednesday in Nashville at age 84.
Career Highlights and Stax Legacy
Cropper’s family informed Pat Mitchell Worley, president and CEO of the Soulsville Foundation—which runs the Stax Museum of American Soul Music in Memphis, formerly home to Stax Records—about his death. A cause was not disclosed, though longtime friend Eddie Gore visited him Tuesday at a Nashville rehabilitation center following a recent fall; they had been collaborating on new music. Gore described Cropper as “such a good human” and noted everyone felt blessed to have known him.
Born near Dora, Missouri, Cropper moved to Memphis at age 9 and received his first mail-order guitar at 14, drawing inspiration from artists like Chuck Berry, Jimmy Reed, and Chet Atkins. He joined what became Stax Records (originally Satellite Records, founded in 1957 by Jim Stewart and Estelle Axton) in the early 1960s with his band the Royal Spades, soon renamed the Mar-Keys, scoring a hit with “Last Night.” Cropper then co-formed Booker T. & the M.G.’s alongside keyboardist Booker T. Jones, bassist Donald “Duck” Dunn, and drummer Al Jackson Jr., delivering instrumental classics like “Green Onions,” “Hang ‘Em High,” and “Time Is Tight” while backing stars such as Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, and Wilson Pickett.
Musical Style and Collaborations
Known for his lean, rhythmic playing rather than flashy solos, Cropper filled songs with essential, catchy riffs that defined the genre. His name echoes in Sam & Dave’s 1967 hit “Soul Man,” where Sam Moore shouts “Play it, Steve!” before Cropper’s signature slide—created with a Zippo lighter—which he later recreated with the Blues Brothers in their cover and films like 1980’s “The Blues Brothers” and “Blues Brothers 2000,” where he appeared as “The Colonel.” He co-wrote enduring tracks including “(Sittin’ on) the Dock of the Bay” with Redding (a posthumous No. 1 after Redding’s 1967 plane crash), “In the Midnight Hour” (inspired by Pickett’s gospel roots), and “Green Onions.”
In a 2020 interview, Cropper explained his approach: listening closely to other musicians and singers during sessions, ensuring he complemented their interpretations without overpowering. As a rare white artist in a Black-led scene, he prioritized collaboration over credit, helping integrate Stax’s racially mixed environment where, as he said, “there was absolutely no color—we were all there… to get a hit record.”
Honors and Lasting Influence
Booker T. & the M.G.’s, a trailblazing integrated band, entered the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992; Cropper joined the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2005 and earned a Grammy lifetime achievement award in 2007. Rolling Stone ranked him 39th among the greatest guitarists, praising him as a “secret ingredient” in rock and soul. Guitarists like Keith Richards called him “perfect,” while Joe Bonamassa noted Cropper’s style permeates countless songs even if his name is unfamiliar.
Cropper stayed active late in life, releasing the 2024 Grammy-nominated album “Friendlytown” and receiving Tennessee’s Governor’s Arts Award earlier that year. Jones remains the sole surviving M.G.’s member; Jackson died in 1975, Dunn in 2012.
