"Steve Cropper stood at the side of musical legends and toiled in the shadows of the studio, never a star. But his work with his fellow musicians and singers at Stax Records in Memphis, Tennessee, established him as one of the most creative and influential musicians of the 1960s. Actually, pretty much every rock icon of that fabled decade looked up to Cropper, who has died aged 84. The Beatles seriously considered recording at Stax, and the Stones covered songs he played on and emulated his crisp rhythm and lead guitar playing."
"If it was just for his guitar playing then Cropper would be venerated. His incisive, tasty, never ostentatious style marks him alongside Lowman Pauling (his main influence), Curtis Mayfield and Bobby Womack as someone who defined the sound of original R&B. But this slim, somewhat gawky youth also developed into a remarkable engineer, producer and co-writer of soul anthems."
Steve Cropper worked at Stax Records in Memphis as a guitarist, engineer, producer and co-writer who shaped 1960s R&B and rock. His economical, incisive guitar style influenced the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and countless garage bands worldwide. Cropper collaborated closely with Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett, Eddie Floyd and Sam & Dave, structuring song ideas into memorable intros, verses and choruses. He preferred complementary fills and rhythm work over showboating, exemplified on Soul Man. Cropper helped define the sound of original R&B alongside Lowman Pauling, Curtis Mayfield and Bobby Womack. He died aged 84.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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