Steve Cropper, the talented guitarist known for his work with the Blues Brothers and Booker T. & the MG’s, has passed away at the age of 84.
Pat Mitchell Worley, who leads the Soulsville Foundation, shared that Cropper’s family informed her of his passing. Cropper died in Nashville. The Soulsville Foundation operates at the Stax Museum of American Soul Music in Memphis, where Stax Records, Cropper’s old workplace, used to be.
A cause of death has not been revealed. Eddie Gore, a friend of Cropper, mentioned he had visited the musician at a rehabilitation center after a recent fall. Gore also said that he and Cropper were working on new music together.
Cropper was a very important person in Memphis music. His name is even mentioned in Sam & Dave’s famous song “Soul Man” from 1967.
Reflecting on his long career, Cropper once said that he always listened to the other musicians and singers he played with. He made sure he sounded good and paid attention to how others interpreted a song.
Cropper’s band, Booker T. & the MG’s, was special because it included both Black and White musicians during a time when that wasn’t common. Cropper said that at Stax Records, everyone was focused on making good music together, no matter their background.
In 2005, Steve Cropper was honored for his songwriting and inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
