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Steve Cropper, one of the true pillars of Stax Records, has died. Cropper’s son, Cameron, confirmed his passing to Variety. He was 84.
The Missouri-born Cropper moved to Memphis at the age of 9, got his first guitar at 14, and would ultimately help define the sound of soul music.
Over the course of a decade at Stax Records — as a guitarist, producer and linchpin of the studio’s house band and instrumental hitmakers, Booker T. & The M.G.’s — Cropper was happiest serving singers and songs, which included many Cropper co-writes: Wilson Pickett’s “In The Midnight Hour”, Eddie Floyd’s “Knock On Wood” and Otis Redding’s “(Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay.”
Cropper would continue his success as a session player and producer after the fall of Stax, working on albums by Rod Stewart, Peter Frampton, Art Garfunkel, Ringo Starr and Wynonna and helming projects for Tower of Power, John Mellencamp, Jose Feliciano, Poco and John Prine. Cropper also released a dozen solo albums over the years, including his most recent, 2024’s “Friendlytown.”
Later, Cropper would also become part of the Blues Brothers backing band, touring with the duo of John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd, and appearing in their 1980 offshoot film.
A member of the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame, the Songwriters Hall of Fame and a Lifetime Achievement Grammy winner, Cropper had lived Nashville for more than 30 years and was in Los Angeles for another 15 years before that, but his legend was made in Memphis, and he remained proud of his years at Stax, appearing in the 2024 HBO documentary on the label, and was set to publish a memoir of his life in music.
This story will be updated.
