🔗 Share this article Legendary guitarist Steve Cropper, musician of the famed band Booker T & the MGs, has died aged 84 Steve Cropper was part of the house band of the influential Memphis label Stax Records. The legendary guitarist Steve Cropper, the celebrated guitarist with Booker T and the MGs, has died at the age of 84. The musician, who performed on and helped pen Otis Redding's Sittin' On the Dock of the Bay and the hit track In the Midnight Hour, succumbed on Wednesday in the city of Nashville. Widely regarded among the best supporting groups in soul music, the group Booker T. Jones and the MGs was the resident studio band of the influential Memphis label Stax and is primarily known for their 1962 track Green Onions. Cropper also joined the John Belushi-Dan Aykroyd act The Blues Brothers in the late 1970s and featured on their popular rendition of Soul Man. "Steve was a deeply admired musician, songwriter, and producer whose extraordinary talent touched generations around the world," his family stated in a release. "While we mourn the loss of a husband, father, and friend, we take solace knowing that Steve will be remembered through his music," they continued. A reason for his passing was not released at this time. A colleague, Eddie Gore, stated he was with Cropper recently in Nashville, where the guitarist had been working on new songs. "He's such a kind human," Gore remarked. "We were blessed to have him, for sure." Steve Cropper, pictured on the right, with fellow musicians Sheryl Crow and Eddie Floyd. A Prolific Career Named the runner-up for guitarist of all time by a British music magazine in 1996, Cropper first found employment at Stax in 1961 at the age of 20. A year later, the MGs came together, comprising keyboardist 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 thought of myself as a rhythm player," Cropper said in a past interview. "I get off on the fact that I can play something over and over, while other guitar players avoid that approach. They are reluctant to repeat the same riff 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 the majority of record put out by Stax from the fall of 1961 through the end of 1970". "We would often spend 15 hours a day in the studio," Cropper said. "I think we had 17 or 18 artists signed to the label, so we had a extremely demanding schedule."