Esteemed musician Steve Cropper, the renowned guitarist with the iconic band Booker T & the MGs, has left us at the age of 84.
The artist, who played on and co-wrote the classic song Sittin' On the Dock of the Bay and the hit track In the Midnight Hour, died on Wednesday in Music City, Nashville.
Considered among the best backing bands in the history of soul music, the group Booker T. Jones and the MGs was the core musical unit of the groundbreaking Memphis label Stax and is primarily known for their 1962 track Green Onions.
Cropper also joined the blues revival band The Blues Brothers in the late '70s and performed on their hit cover of Soul Man.
"Steve was a beloved guitarist, composer, and producer whose extraordinary talent touched generations around the world," his family stated in a statement.
"While we mourn the loss of a family man and friend, we find comfort knowing that Steve will live forever through his music," they added.
A cause of death was not released at this time.
A colleague, Eddie Gore, recalled he was with Cropper recently in Nashville, where the guitarist was developing new music.
"He's such a good human," Gore commented. "We were fortunate to have him, for sure."
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 came together, 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 honored by inclusion in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992.
"I've always thought of myself as a rhythm player," Cropper said in a past interview. "I take pride in the fact that I can play something consistently, while other guitar players don't want to even know about that. They won't even play the same lick twice."
As well as a guitarist, Cropper was a productive songwriter, and in addition to Dock of the Bay and In the Midnight Hour, he helped write Eddie Floyd's hit Knock on Wood.
According to available information, he was "involved in the majority of record put out by Stax from late 1961 through year end 1970".
"We would truly spend long days in the studio," Cropper noted in an interview. "I think we had nearly 20 artists we worked with, so we had a extremely demanding schedule."
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