🔗 Share this article The iconic guitarist Steve Cropper, musician of the soul group Booker T & the MGs, dies aged 84 Steve Cropper served as a key member of the in-house studio band of the seminal Memphis label Stax Records. The legendary guitarist Steve Cropper, the renowned guitarist with Booker T and the MGs, has passed away at the age of 84. The guitar virtuoso, who performed on and collaborated on writing the classic song Sittin' On the Dock of the Bay and the hit track In the Midnight Hour, succumbed recently in the city of Nashville. Considered among the greatest supporting groups in the history of soul music, the group the MGs was the resident studio band of the influential Memphis label Stax and is most famous for their 1962 track Green Onions. Cropper later became a member of the John Belushi-Dan Aykroyd act The Blues Brothers in the late 1970s and played on their successful version of Soul Man. "Steve was a deeply admired musician, songwriter, and producer whose profound talent impacted millions of lives around the world," his family said in a release. "While we grieve the loss of a loved one and companion, we take solace knowing that Steve will be remembered through his music," they added. A reason for his passing was not disclosed. An associate, Eddie Gore, recalled he was with Cropper recently in Nashville, where the guitarist was developing new songs. "He's such a wonderful human," Gore commented. "We were fortunate to have him, for sure." Steve Cropper, right, with peers Sheryl Crow and Eddie Floyd. A Prolific Career Named the second-best guitarist of all time by a UK publication in 1996, Cropper began working at Stax in 1961 at the age of 20. A year later, the MGs came together, comprising 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 past interview. "I take pride in the fact that I can play something over and over, while other guitar players avoid that approach. They are reluctant to repeat the same phrase twice." In addition to being a guitarist, Cropper was a prolific songwriter, and in addition to 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 "a part of virtually every record put out by Stax from 1961 through the end of 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 extremely demanding schedule."