đź”— Share this article Steve Cropper, guitarist of the soul group Booker T & the MGs, dies at the age of 84 Steve Cropper served as a key member of the house band of the pioneering Memphis label Stax Records. The legendary guitarist Steve Cropper, the acclaimed guitarist with the seminal soul group Booker T & the MGs, has died at the age of 84. The guitar virtuoso, who played on and helped pen the classic song Sittin' On the Dock of the Bay and the hit track In the Midnight Hour, passed away recently in the city of Nashville. Often cited among the greatest supporting groups in the history of soul music, the quartet the MGs was the core musical unit of the influential 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 1970s and played on their successful version of Soul Man. "Steve was a beloved artist, writer, and producer whose immense talent inspired generations around the world," his family said in a release. "While we mourn the loss of a husband, father, and friend, we are consoled knowing that Steve will live forever through his music," they noted. A specific cause was not released at this time. 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 wonderful human," Gore said. "We were fortunate to have him, for sure." Steve Cropper, right, with fellow musicians Sheryl Crow and Eddie Floyd. An Illustrious Journey Ranked the number two guitarist of all time by a UK publication in 1996, Cropper first found employment at Stax Records in 1961 at the age of 20. A year later, the MGs came together, comprising keyboardist Booker T Jones, drummer Al Jackson and bassist Lewie Steinberg - who was succeeded by Donald "Duck" Dunn in 1964. The band was honored by inclusion in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992. "I've always considered myself to be a rhythm player," Cropper remarked in a past interview. "I take pride in the fact that I can play something over and over, while other guitar players don't want to even know about that. They won't even play the same lick twice." As well as a guitarist, Cropper was a prolific songwriter, and in addition to Dock of the Bay and In the Midnight Hour, he helped write Eddie Floyd's hit Knock on Wood. According to his official biography, he was "involved in nearly all record issued by Stax from late 1961 through the end of 1970". "We would truly spend 15 hours a day in the studio," Cropper once recalled. "I think we had nearly 20 artists signed to the label, so we had a pretty busy schedule."