The music world is mourning the loss of a foundational figure in soul and rhythm and blues. Steve Cropper, the legendary guitarist for Booker T & the MGs, has died at the age of 84. While never a frontman, his subtle, incisive guitar work, production skills, and songwriting collaboration helped define the sound of Stax Records in Memphis and shaped the course of popular music in the 1960s and beyond.
The Architect of the Stax Sound
Cropper's influence stretched far beyond the recording studio in Tennessee. Major rock icons of the 1960s, from The Beatles to The Rolling Stones, held his work in high esteem. Jimi Hendrix once drove to Memphis specifically to meet and jam with him in 1964, and Janis Joplin was so eager to connect with the Stax milieu that she arranged for her band to play the label's Christmas party. Cropper's guitar style—economical, tasteful, and never showy—placed him alongside greats like Curtis Mayfield as a definitive voice in original R&B.
His role at Stax, however, extended far beyond his instrument. He became a trusted engineer, producer, and crucial co-writer. He had a unique talent for structuring the raw ideas of vocalists like Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett, and Eddie Floyd, transforming them into timeless anthems with memorable intros, verses, and choruses. His most famous collaboration was with Otis Redding, which began when Cropper played piano on Redding's impromptu demo of "These Arms of Mine." It was Cropper who later fleshed out Redding's brief image of watching boats into the fully-formed lyric of "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay."
From High School Band to "Green Onions"
Cropper's journey started in Memphis, where he formed his first band, the Royal Spades, in high school. Despite the city's strict segregation, he and his white bandmates were deeply influenced by Black R&B music. The band, renamed the Mar-Keys, scored a hit with the instrumental "Last Night" for the nascent Satellite Records, which soon became Stax Records.
Preferring studio work to the rigours of touring, Cropper secured a job at Stax. There, he teamed up with teenage organist Booker T. Jones, drummer Al Jackson Jr., and bassist Lewie Steinberg (later replaced by Donald "Duck" Dunn) to form Booker T. & the MGs. A studio jam was released as "Green Onions" in 1962, becoming one of the most influential instrumentals of the decade and a perennial mod anthem.
A Legacy Cast in Rhythm and Soul
After Otis Redding's tragic death in 1967 and Booker T. Jones's departure for California, Cropper's central role at Stax evolved. He continued as a sought-after session musician, working with artists like John Lennon and Rod Stewart. To a new generation, he became widely known as a member of The Blues Brothers band, appearing in the films and on stage, albeit in a more comedic, crowd-pleasing context.
Yet, this later chapter does nothing to diminish his monumental earlier achievements. Steve Cropper operated from the shadows, but his creative force was a bright, guiding light for soul music. He co-wrote and played on an extraordinary canon of work that continues to resonate globally, securing his place as one of the most important and influential musicians of his era. The soul man's work is done, but his music plays on.
