Steve Cropper—the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer whose guitar lines shaped the sound of Stax Records, Booker T. & the MGs, Otis Redding, the Blues Brothers, and some of the most enduring soul and rock hits of the 20th century—has died at 84. His son, Cameron Cropper, confirmed the news to Variety.
Across more than six decades, Cropper became one of the most influential guitarists in American music. Known for his crisp, economical style, he anchored Booker T. & the MGs while also producing, engineering, and co-writing a staggering roster of classics for Redding, Wilson Pickett, Sam & Dave, Eddie Floyd, Don Covay, Carla Thomas and many others.
In 1996, Mojo magazine ranked him the second-greatest guitarist of all time—behind only Jimi Hendrix—writing that he offered “metronome-crisp timing; deadly-accurate chops; sharp, nasty little licks” and solos that “never outstay their welcome.”
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Cropper’s impact at Stax Records cannot be overstated. After joining the label in the early 1960s, he became a driving creative force behind the signature Memphis soul sound. As a songwriter, co-writer, or guitarist, he contributed to:
“Green Onions,” “Soul-Limbo,” and “Time Is Tight” with Booker T. & the MGsOtis Redding’s “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay” and “Mr. Pitiful”Wilson Pickett’s “In the Midnight Hour” and “634-5789”Eddie Floyd’s “Knock On Wood” and “Raise Your Hand”Don Covay’s “Seesaw” and “Sookie Sookie”He also served as Stax’s A&R director and was part of the label’s celebrated 1967 European tour backing Redding, Sam & Dave, and others.
Cropper first came to prominence as a founding member of Booker T. & the MGs. What began as a jam session between Cropper, Booker T. Jones, Al Jackson Jr., and Lewie Steinberg led to “Green Onions,” a breakout 1962 instrumental that shot to No. 1 on the R&B charts and helped define the Stax sound.
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The group went on to score hits including “Hip Hug-Her,” “Hang ’Em High,” and “Time Is Tight” while serving as the house band for nearly every Stax artist.
To a later generation, Cropper became best known for his role as lead guitarist in John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd’s Blues Brothers band. He appeared in both films—The Blues Brothers in 1980 and Blues Brothers 2000—and performed on multiple bestselling albums, including the double-platinum Briefcase Full of Blues.
Their rendition of “Soul Man”—a song Cropper originally played on with Sam & Dave—reached the Top 20 once again in 1978.
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The guitarist’s versatility led him to collaborations with Bob Dylan, Jeff Beck, Neil Young, Levon Helm, Ringo Starr, and John Prine. Booker T. & the MGs reunited throughout the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s for recording and touring, and served as the house band for Dylan’s 30th Anniversary Concert in 1992.
Cropper was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with Booker T. & the MGs in 1992. He is survived by his wife Angel, their two children, and two children from a previous marriage.
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