Steve Cropper, Legendary Guitarist, Passes Away at 84

Steve Cropper, renowned guitarist for Booker T. and the MGs and a member of the Blues Brothers, has died at the age of 84. His family shared the news of his passing with Pat Mitchell Worley, president and CEO of the Soulsville Foundation. Cropper passed away in Nashville on a Wednesday.

The Soulsville Foundation is based at the Stax Museum of American Soul Music in Memphis, the same location where Cropper used to work for Stax Records.

The exact cause of his death hasn’t been revealed yet. Eddie Gore, a close friend of Cropper’s, mentioned that he visited him in a rehab facility just the day before he passed. Gore noted that Cropper had been recovering from a fall and was in the process of working on new music with him.

“He’s a very good human being. We’re certainly lucky to have him,” Gore said, reflecting on Cropper’s character.

Cropper played a crucial role in the Memphis music scene. His guitar work is notably featured in Sam & Dave’s classic 1967 hit “Soul Man,” where Sam Moore famously calls out, “Play it, Steve!” before Cropper’s memorable riff.

In a past interview in 2020, Cropper shared some insights into his creative process, explaining how he listens to other artists to inspire his own sound. “When I put out a song, I listen to the song and their interpretations. And I try them all out. That’s how I do it. That’s my style,” he noted.

Steve Cropper was widely celebrated for his time with Booker T. & the MG’s, a band that also included keyboardist Booker T. Jones, bassist Donald “Duck” Dunn, and drummer Al Jackson. Their racially integrated lineup was quite rare during their era. Cropper reflected on this by saying, “When I walked in the door at Stax, there was no color at all. We were all there for the same reason: to get a hit record.”

In 2005, he was honored with induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, marking another milestone in a storied career that left an indelible mark on music history.