🔗 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 in-house studio band of the seminal Memphis label Stax Records. The legendary guitarist Steve Cropper, the acclaimed guitarist with the seminal soul group Booker T & the MGs, has left us at the age of 84. The musician, 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 recently in Music City, Nashville. Considered among the finest studio bands in the history of soul music, the quartet the MGs was the house band of the historic Memphis label Stax and is primarily known for their classic 1962 track Green Onions. Cropper went on to join the blues revival band The Blues Brothers in the late '70s and played on their successful version of Soul Man. "Steve was a beloved artist, writer, and producer whose profound talent touched millions of lives around the world," his family expressed in a message. "While we feel sorrow for the loss of a loved one and companion, we find comfort knowing that Steve will be remembered through his music," they added. A cause of death was not disclosed. A colleague, Eddie Gore, mentioned he was with Cropper recently in Nashville, where the guitarist was developing new music. "He's such a good human," Gore commented. "We were lucky to have him, for sure." Steve Cropper, right, with artists Eddie Floyd and Sheryl Crow. A Prolific Career Named the runner-up for 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 founded, featuring keyboardist Booker T Jones, drummer Al Jackson and bassist Lewie Steinberg - who was succeeded by Donald "Duck" Dunn in 1964. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992. "I've always thought of 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 won't even play the same lick twice." In addition to being a guitarist, Cropper was a productive songwriter, and alongside Dock of the Bay and In the Midnight Hour, he helped write Eddie Floyd's hit Knock on Wood. According to historical accounts, he was "a part of virtually every record issued by Stax from 1961 through 1970". "We would often spend 15 hours a day in the studio," Cropper said. "I think we had a roster of artists signed to the label, so we had a extremely demanding schedule."