🔗 Share this article The iconic guitarist Steve Cropper, guitarist of the soul group Booker T & the MGs, has died aged 84 Steve Cropper was part of the house band of the influential Memphis label Stax Records. Esteemed musician Steve Cropper, the acclaimed guitarist with Booker T and the MGs, has passed away at the age of 84. The musician, who contributed to and co-wrote the classic song Sittin' On the Dock of the Bay and the hit track In the Midnight Hour, succumbed on Wednesday in the city of Nashville. Considered among the best studio bands in soul music, the four-piece band the MGs was the core musical unit of the historic Memphis label Stax/Volt and is primarily known for their classic 1962 track Green Onions. Cropper later became a member of the comedy music group The Blues Brothers in the late '70s and played on their hit cover of Soul Man. "Steve was a cherished guitarist, composer, and producer whose profound talent inspired millions of lives around the world," his family said in a statement. "While we feel sorrow for the loss of a family man and friend, we are consoled knowing that Steve will be remembered through his music," they noted. A reason for his passing was not immediately known. A friend, Eddie Gore, recalled he was with Cropper on Tuesday in Nashville, where the guitarist was developing new songs. "He's such a wonderful human," Gore commented. "We were blessed to have him, for sure." Steve Cropper, right, with peers Eddie Floyd and Sheryl Crow. An Illustrious Journey Ranked the number two guitarist of all time by a UK publication in 1996, Cropper first found employment at the Stax label in 1961 at the age of 20. A year later, the MGs were formed, featuring 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 thought of myself as a rhythm guitarist," Cropper explained in a past interview. "I get off on 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 productive songwriter, and alongside Dock of the Bay and In the Midnight Hour, he co-wrote Eddie Floyd's hit Knock on Wood. According to available information, he was "integral to virtually every record issued by Stax from the fall of 1961 through the end of 1970". "We would literally spend 15 hours a day in the studio," Cropper said. "I think we had nearly 20 artists signed to the label, so we had a extremely demanding schedule."