đź”— Share this article Steve Cropper, guitarist of the soul group Booker T & the MGs, dies at the age of 84 Steve Cropper formed the backbone of the resident musical group of the influential Memphis label Stax Records. Esteemed musician Steve Cropper, the acclaimed guitarist with the iconic band Booker T & the MGs, has passed away at the age of 84. The musician, who contributed to and helped pen Otis Redding's Sittin' On the Dock of the Bay and Wilson Pickett's In the Midnight Hour, died this past Wednesday in Nashville. Often cited among the finest backing bands in soul music, the group the MGs was the core musical unit of the historic Memphis label Stax Records and is most famous for their classic 1962 track Green Onions. Cropper also joined the blues revival band The Blues Brothers in the late '70s and played on their successful version of Soul Man. "Steve was a beloved musician, songwriter, and producer whose immense talent touched generations around the world," his family stated in a statement. "While we mourn the loss of a loved one and companion, we find comfort knowing that Steve will live forever through his music," they noted. A specific cause was not released at this time. An associate, Eddie Gore, mentioned he was with Cropper on Tuesday in Nashville, where the guitarist was in the process of creating new songs. "He's such a wonderful human," Gore commented. "We were fortunate to have him, for sure." Steve Cropper, right, with fellow musicians Sheryl Crow and Eddie Floyd. An Illustrious Journey Ranked the second-best guitarist of all time by a UK publication in 1996, Cropper started his career at the Stax label in 1961 at the age of 20. A year later, the MGs were founded, comprising organist Booker T Jones, drummer Al Jackson and bassist Lewie Steinberg - who was replaced by Donald "Duck" Dunn in 1964. The band was entered into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992. "I've always seen myself as a player who focuses on rhythm," Cropper remarked in a previous conversation. "I take pride in the fact that I can play something consistently, while other guitar players avoid that approach. They refuse to play the same phrase twice." In addition to being a guitarist, Cropper was a productive songwriter, and besides Dock of the Bay and In the Midnight Hour, he collaborated on Eddie Floyd's hit Knock on Wood. According to available information, he was "integral to nearly all record put out by Stax from the fall of 1961 through year end 1970". "We would literally spend marathon sessions in the studio," Cropper once recalled. "I think we had 17 or 18 artists on the roster, so we had a extremely demanding schedule."