🔗 Share this article Steve Cropper, musician of Booker T and the MGs, has died at the age of 84 Steve Cropper formed the backbone of the resident musical group of the influential Memphis label Stax Records. Esteemed musician Steve Cropper, the renowned guitarist with the iconic band Booker T & the MGs, has left us at the age of 84. The musician, who performed on and co-wrote the classic song Sittin' On the Dock of the Bay and the hit track In the Midnight Hour, passed away this past Wednesday in Music City, Nashville. Widely regarded among the greatest supporting groups in soul and R&B, the quartet Booker T & the MGs was the house band of the historic Memphis label Stax Records and is best remembered for their 1962 instrumental track Green Onions. Cropper also joined the comedy music group The Blues Brothers in the late '70s and played on their popular rendition of Soul Man. "Steve was a beloved artist, writer, and producer whose immense talent touched millions of lives around the world," his family stated in a statement. "While we mourn the loss of a loved one and companion, we are consoled knowing that Steve will be remembered through his music," they added. A reason for his passing was not released at this time. An associate, Eddie Gore, stated he was with Cropper on Tuesday in Nashville, where the guitarist had been working on new music. "He's such a wonderful human," Gore remarked. "We were lucky to have him, for sure." Steve Cropper, right, with fellow musicians Eddie Floyd and Sheryl Crow. A Prolific Career Named the number two guitarist of all time by a music periodical in 1996, Cropper started his career at Stax Records in 1961 at the age of 20. A year later, the MGs were founded, comprising organist Booker T Jones, drummer Al Jackson and bassist Lewie Steinberg - who was replaced 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 previous conversation. "I enjoy the fact that I can play something consistently, while other guitar players avoid that approach. They refuse to play the same riff twice." In addition to being 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 "involved in the majority of record put out by Stax from the fall of 1961 through year end 1970". "We would truly spend 15 hours a day in the studio," Cropper once recalled. "I think we had a roster of artists on the roster, so we had a extremely demanding schedule."