🔗 Share this article The iconic guitarist Steve Cropper, guitarist of Booker T and the MGs, has died at the age of 84 Steve Cropper formed the backbone of the house band of the pioneering Memphis label Stax Records. Esteemed musician Steve Cropper, the acclaimed 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 Wilson Pickett's In the Midnight Hour, died this past Wednesday in Music City, Nashville. Widely regarded among the finest backing bands in soul and R&B, the quartet the MGs was the resident studio band of the historic Memphis label Stax Records and is best remembered for their 1962 instrumental track Green Onions. Cropper also joined the John Belushi-Dan Aykroyd act The Blues Brothers in the late '70s and performed on their successful version of Soul Man. "Steve was a beloved artist, writer, and producer whose profound talent impacted generations around the world," his family stated in a statement. "While we mourn the loss of a family man and friend, we take solace knowing that Steve will live forever through his music," they added. A reason for his passing was not disclosed. A colleague, Eddie Gore, stated he was with Cropper on Tuesday in Nashville, where the guitarist was in the process of creating fresh material. "He's such a kind human," Gore remarked. "We were blessed to have him, for sure." Steve Cropper, pictured on the right, with peers Eddie Floyd and Sheryl Crow. A Prolific Career Ranked the number two guitarist of all time by a British music magazine 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 replaced 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 guitarist," Cropper explained in a past interview. "I get off on the fact that I can play something over and over, while other guitar players wouldn't consider it. They are reluctant to repeat the same phrase twice." Not only was he a guitarist, Cropper was a productive songwriter, and besides Dock of the Bay and In the Midnight Hour, he co-wrote Eddie Floyd's hit Knock on Wood. According to his official biography, he was "integral to 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 noted in an interview. "I think we had a roster of artists on the roster, so we had a extremely demanding schedule."