🔗 Share this article Legendary guitarist Steve Cropper, musician of the soul group Booker T & the MGs, has passed away aged 84 Steve Cropper served as a key member of the house band of the pioneering Memphis label Stax Records. Steve Cropper, the celebrated guitarist with Booker T and the MGs, has passed away at the age of 84. The artist, who played on and helped pen the classic song Sittin' On the Dock of the Bay and Wilson Pickett's In the Midnight Hour, died this past Wednesday in the city of Nashville. Widely regarded among the best studio bands in the history of soul music, the group Booker T & the MGs was the core musical unit of the groundbreaking Memphis label Stax/Volt and is most famous for their classic 1962 track Green Onions. Cropper later became a member of the comedy music group The Blues Brothers in the late 1970s and featured on their successful version of Soul Man. "Steve was a beloved musician, songwriter, and producer whose immense talent touched 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 take solace knowing that Steve will be remembered through his music," they added. A reason for his passing was not disclosed. A colleague, Eddie Gore, stated he was with Cropper just the day before in Nashville, where the guitarist was in the process of creating new songs. "He's such a wonderful human," Gore remarked. "We were fortunate to have him, for sure." Steve Cropper, right, with fellow musicians Sheryl Crow and Eddie Floyd. A Storied Musical Path Named the number two guitarist of all time by a music periodical in 1996, Cropper started his career at Stax 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 entered into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992. "I've always considered myself to be a player who focuses on rhythm," Cropper remarked in a past interview. "I enjoy the fact that I can play something repeatedly, while other guitar players wouldn't consider it. They won't even play the same lick twice." As well as a guitarist, Cropper was a prolific songwriter, and besides Dock of the Bay and In the Midnight Hour, he co-wrote Eddie Floyd's hit Knock on Wood. According to historical accounts, he was "a part of virtually every record put out by Stax from the fall of 1961 through 1970". "We would literally spend marathon sessions in the studio," Cropper said. "I think we had nearly 20 artists on the roster, so we had a very hectic schedule."