Steve Cropper lifeless: Legendary Otis Redding and Blues Brothers guitarist dies aged 84
Cropper was best known for playing with iconic soul backing band Booker T. & the M.G.’s, and was once named the second greatest guitarist of all time behind Jimi Hendrix
Steve Cropper, the legendary guitarist with Booker T. & the M.G.’s who helped write one of the great songs of all time, has died aged 84. Cropper, who co-authored Otis Redding’s (Sittin’ on) The Dock of the Bay, was once named the second greatest guitarist of all time behind Jimi Hendrix.
Cropper, also known for playing with John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd’s musical act the Blues Brothers, passed away on Wednesday, his son confirmed to Variety.
He was perhaps best known as the guitarist in Booker T. & the M.G.’s, widely regarded as one of the best backing bands in soul music, who were hailed for their Blues track Green Onions.
But as a guitarist, producer and songwriter at Stax Records, he was also responsible for dozens of hits by renowned soul and R&B artists including Redding, Wilson Pickett, Sam & Dave, Rufus and Carla Thomas and Eddie Floyd.
In 1996, Cropper was named by British music magazine Mojo as the second greatest of all time, with the publication saying: “Cropper puts everything he’s got, which is considerable, at the disposal of the artist and the song: metronome-crisp timing; deadly-accurate chops; earth-moving bottom-line riffs; sharp, nasty little licks and grace notes. His solos never outstay their welcome or leave you wanting less.”
He left Stax in 1970, and the MG’s got back together to record and tour from the ‘70s through the ‘90s, backing artists such as Bob Dylan, John Fogerty, Neil Young and the Band’s Levon Helm.
In more recent times, his highest-profile gig was as lead guitarist for the Blues Brothers. Cropper played on their double-platinum 1978 album “Briefcase Full of Blues” and four other albums, and appeared in both John Landis’ 1980 feature “The Blues Brothers” and its 1998 sequel “Blues Brothers 2000.”
He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the MG’s in 1992. Rolling Stone magazine also ranked Cropper 39th on its 100 Greatest Guitarists list, calling him “the secret ingredient in some of the greatest rock and soul songs.”
Born in 1941 in Missouri, Cropper was nine when his family moved to Memphis. He began playing guitar at 14; among his influences as a player, he cited Lowman Pauling of the R&B group the “5” Royales, Billy Butler of organist Bill Doggett’s combo and Bobby “Blue” Bland’s longtime accompanist Wayne Bennett.
Cropper is survived by his wife Angel and four children.
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