"The guitarist, songwriter and record producer was not known for flashy playing, but his spare, catchy licks and solid rhythm chops helped define Memphis soul music. At a time when it was common for white musicians to co-opt the work of Black artists and make more money from their songs, Cropper was that rare white artist willing to keep a lower profile and collaborate."
"Cropper's very name was immortalized in the 1967 smash 'Soul Man,' recorded by Sam & Dave. Midway, singer Sam Moore calls out 'Play it, Steve!' as Cropper pulls off a tight, ringing riff, a slide sound that Cropper used a Zippo lighter to create. The exchange was reenacted in the late 1970s when Cropper joined the John Belushi-Dan Aykroyd act 'The Blues Brothers' and played on their hit cover of 'Soul Man.'"
Steve Cropper was a lean, soulful guitarist and songwriter who anchored Booker T. and the M.G.'s at Stax Records and co-wrote 'Green Onions,' '(Sittin' on) the Dock of the Bay' and 'In the Midnight Hour.' He died at 84 in Nashville, according to his family, and was at a rehabilitation facility after a recent fall. A cause of death was not immediately known. Cropper was known for spare, catchy licks and solid rhythm chops that helped define Memphis soul. He maintained a low profile and collaborated across racial lines. His playing is immortalized when Sam Moore calls 'Play it, Steve!' on 'Soul Man.'
Read at ABC7 Los Angeles
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