đź”— Share this article The iconic guitarist Steve Cropper, guitarist of Booker T and the MGs, dies at the age of 84 Steve Cropper formed the backbone of the resident musical group of the seminal Memphis label Stax Records. Steve Cropper, the celebrated guitarist with Booker T and the MGs, has passed away at the age of 84. The guitar virtuoso, who performed on and co-wrote the classic song Sittin' On the Dock of the Bay and the hit track In the Midnight Hour, passed away on Wednesday in Nashville. Widely regarded among the finest studio bands in soul and R&B, the quartet Booker T & the MGs was the resident studio band of the influential Memphis label Stax Records and is most famous for their classic 1962 track Green Onions. Cropper went on to join the John Belushi-Dan Aykroyd act The Blues Brothers in the late 1970s and featured on their hit cover of Soul Man. "Steve was a beloved artist, writer, and producer whose extraordinary talent inspired generations around the world," his family stated in a statement. "While we mourn the loss of a loved one and companion, we take solace knowing that Steve will endure through his music," they noted. A cause of death was not released at this time. A colleague, Eddie Gore, recalled he was with Cropper just the day before in Nashville, where the guitarist had been working on fresh material. "He's such a good human," Gore commented. "We were fortunate to have him, for sure." Steve Cropper, pictured on the right, with artists Sheryl Crow and Eddie Floyd. A Storied Musical Path Voted the runner-up for guitarist of all time by a UK publication in 1996, Cropper first found employment at the Stax label in 1961 at the age of 20. A year later, the MGs were formed, consisting of 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 seen myself as a player who focuses on rhythm," Cropper said in a past interview. "I get off on the fact that I can play something over and over, while other guitar players wouldn't consider it. They won't even play the same lick twice." As well as a guitarist, Cropper was a productive songwriter, and besides Dock of the Bay and In the Midnight Hour, he helped write Eddie Floyd's hit Knock on Wood. According to historical accounts, he was "a part of virtually every record put out by Stax from the fall of 1961 through 1970". "We would truly spend long days in the studio," Cropper once recalled. "I think we had nearly 20 artists we worked with, so we had a very hectic schedule."