Steve Cropper, Legendary Guitarist, Songwriter and Producer of Some of Soul Music’s Biggest Hits, Dies
by Greg Brodsky
Booker T. Jones and Steve Cropper at a 2008 reunion performance.
Steve Cropper, the legendary guitarist, songwriter and producer of many of music’s biggest hits as a member of Booker T. & the M.G.’s, the house band for soul label Stax Records, has died at 84. The news was first reported by Variety today (Dec. 3, 2025) via his son, Cameron. The cause of death was not immediately known, although some reports said Cropper had been suffering from pneumonia; he died in Nashville.
While at the Memphis-based label, Cropper co-wrote hits, played guitar behind, and produced such legends as Otis Redding (“[Sittin’ On] the Dock of the Bay”), Eddie Floyd (“Knock on Wood”) and Wilson Pickett (“In the Midnight Hour”). As the guitarist for the M.G.’s, Cropper, along with the band’s namesake organist Booker T. Jones, drummer Al Jackson Jr. and bassist Lewie Steinberg, replaced in 1965 by Donald “Duck” Dunn, performed on hundreds of sessions, shaping the soul of American music.
Jones and Cropper tell the story of how – along with Steinberg and Jackson – they accidentally created a masterpiece. The quartet was booked to record demos, but the scheduled singer arrived too hoarse to record. Instead of packing up, the band stayed and started noodling on a blues riff.
Jim Stewart, the owner of Stax, was engineering the session that day. He liked what he heard and began recording the band without telling them. When they finished, he liked it so much that he wanted to release it immediately as a single. The group agreed and returned to the studio to write and record a B-side for the new song they named “Behave Yourself.”
Back in the studio, Cropper asked Jones to play a riff he’d played during a recent show. Jones recalls the moment: “I’d forgotten those riffs…so I asked Steve to stand next to the organ and help refresh my memory. I played several licks before Steve stopped and shouted, ‘That’s it!’ He identified the opening notes of what would become ‘Green Onions.’ The song burst to life on the spot.”
The next day, Cropper took the then-unnamed B-side to a local DJ, who played it on the air four times in a row. The station’s phones lit up with callers asking where they could buy the song. Naturally, “Green Onions” graduated to the A-side. The single reached #1 on the R&B chart and #3 on the Hot 100.
Among the artists the M.G.’s backed were Bill Withers, Sam and Dave, Albert King, Carla Thomas, Rufus Thomas and Johnnie Taylor. Post-Stax, Cropper produced and/or played on sessions for Jeff Beck, Jose Feliciano, Yvonne Elliman, John Prine, Tower of Power, John Mellencamp, Paul Simon, Ringo Starr, Buddy Guy, Johnny Lang, Elton John and Steppenwolf, among many others.
Beginning in 1978, Cropper and Dunn were among the heavyweight musicians who backed John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd as the Blues Brothers band.
Cracking a Head to celebrate Steve Cropper who was a musical giant, a principal creative backbone of Stax Records who influenced every songwriter and guitarist in Rock & Roll from the 60s onward. The Blues Brothers would not exist without him. It was an honor to have shared…
— Dan Aykroyd (@dan_aykroyd) December 4, 2025
Cropper won two GRAMMY Awards from his seven nominations. He’s been ranked the number two greatest guitarist of all-time—behind Jimi Hendrix—by England’s Mojo Magazine, and number 36 in Rolling Stone magazine’s “100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time.”
Cropper was prominently featured in 2024’s Stax: Soulsville U.S.A., an HBO Original four-part documentary series. Reflecting back on his life, the iconic musician once said, “When I think about my legacy, I want it to be said that I was a nice guy.”
Born on October 21, 1941, on a farm near Dora, Missouri, Steve Cropper moved with his family to Memphis at the age of nine. At 14, he acquired his first guitar and by 1961 Cropper was playing in bands, notably the Mar-Keys, who scored a hit that year with “Last Night.” Stewart, the co-founder of what would become Stax Records, was impressed by Cropper’s guitar work and made him a core member of the Stax house band, Booker T. & the MG’s.
Cropper favored a clean, unadorned guitar sound that stressed melody and rhythm and avoided the gimmickry and over-the-top showmanship of the era. Both with the MG’s and in his playing with other artists, Cropper allowed the guitar to make its statement without overdoing the use of effects or embellishment. Even during the period when his contemporaries were experimenting with sounds and technology, inventing styles like psychedelic and progressive rock, Cropper remained rooted in a more classic approach that brought out the instrument’s natural tones.
Cropper recorded his debut solo album, With a Little Help From My Friends, in 1969, and left Stax the following year. Although the MG’s (minus Jackson, who was killed in 1975) reunited at various times, Cropper spent most of his post-Stax years as a freelance musician and solo artist.
Booker T. & the MG’s’ recordings are available in the U.S. here and in the U.K. here. The classic Stax logo t-shirt is available here.
Related: Musician and celebrity deaths of 2025
4 Comments so far
Jump into a conversationA great talent, and Steve’s passing leaves a large void in musicology.
Back in the days before streaming and digital releases, and when people actual read album covers, gatefolds, liner notes, and credits, Steve Cropper’s name came up on, literally, hundreds of albums, either as guitarist, songwriter/co-writer, producer, etc.
Rest In Peace to a true trailblazer .
just saw headline to email tonight’s email and obviously feeling very sad…loved BT/MG’S MUSIC since teenager, still do, a great band, great musicians…sad to hear artists/people I loved have died…feeling this one more sadly/quietly tonight..
Absolutely one of the top 5 guitarists and songwriter-producers in my book.
All those Classic Rock and Soul songs from STAX and more. A true legend who will
never be forgotten. He was at his best when I photographed him in 2019 on tour with
another Legend-Dave Mason. Two shows and then Steve joined Dave for a number of classics.
He is now in Rock and Roll Heaven.