🔗 Share this article The iconic guitarist Steve Cropper, musician of the soul group Booker T & the MGs, has passed away at the age of 84 Steve Cropper formed the backbone of the in-house studio band of the pioneering Memphis label Stax Records. Steve Cropper, the renowned guitarist with the iconic band Booker T & the MGs, has left us at the age of 84. The guitar virtuoso, who performed on and helped pen the classic song Sittin' On the Dock of the Bay and the hit track In the Midnight Hour, passed away on Wednesday in the city of Nashville. Considered among the finest supporting groups in the history of soul music, the quartet Booker T & the MGs was the core musical unit of the influential Memphis label Stax/Volt and is most famous for their 1962 track Green Onions. Cropper later became a member of the John Belushi-Dan Aykroyd act The Blues Brothers in the late '70s and played on their successful version of Soul Man. "Steve was a deeply admired artist, writer, and producer whose profound talent touched generations around the world," his family stated in a statement. "While we feel sorrow for the loss of a loved one and companion, we take solace knowing that Steve will be remembered through his music," they continued. A specific cause was not disclosed. A colleague, Eddie Gore, recalled he was with Cropper just the day before in Nashville, where the guitarist had been working on new songs. "He's such a good human," Gore commented. "We were lucky to have him, for sure." Steve Cropper, right, with peers Sheryl Crow and Eddie Floyd. A Prolific Career Named the number two guitarist of all time by a music periodical in 1996, Cropper started his career at Stax in 1961 at the age of 20. A year later, the MGs were formed, consisting of organist Booker T Jones, drummer Al Jackson and bassist Lewie Steinberg - who was replaced 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 player who focuses on rhythm," Cropper said in a past interview. "I get off on the fact that I can play something repeatedly, while other guitar players don't want to even know about that. They won't even play the same riff 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 collaborated on Eddie Floyd's hit Knock on Wood. According to his official biography, he was "involved in virtually every record issued by Stax from late 1961 through 1970". "We would truly spend 15 hours a day in the studio," Cropper once recalled. "I think we had a roster of artists on the roster, so we had a extremely demanding schedule."