Steve Cropper, the lean, soulful guitarist whose stinging riffs and songwriting defined Memphis soul as a founding member of Booker T. & the M.G.'s and a key producer at Stax Records, died Wednesday, December 3, 2025, in Nashville at age 84.
His death at a rehabilitation facility followed a recent fall, according to longtime associate Eddie Gore; a specific cause was not immediately disclosed by family or the Soulsville Foundation, which operates the Stax Museum of American Soul Music in Memphis. Cropper's passing marks the end of an era for the interracial house band that backed icons like Otis Redding and Sam & Dave, co-writing timeless hits such as "(Sittin' on) the Dock of the Bay," "In the Midnight Hour," and the instrumental smash "Green Onions."
Cropper's guitar work—crisp, economical, and infused with blues grit—powered Stax's golden age in the 1960s, when the label rivaled Motown as soul's creative epicenter. Ranked No. 39 on Rolling Stone's list of greatest guitarists, he shaped the "quintessence of soul guitar" through explosive bends in "Green Onions" and filigreed fills in Redding's posthumous chart-topper, earning two Grammys and induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992 with the M.G.'s.
His production touch graced dozens of Stax sessions, blending raw energy with interracial harmony in a segregated South, as he once recalled: "When you walked in the door at Stax, there was absolutely no color."Born October 21, 1941, in Willow Springs, Missouri, and raised in Memphis, Cropper picked up the guitar at 14 and cut his teeth in local R&B circles. By 1961, at 20, he joined the fledgling Satellite Records (soon rebranded Stax) as a session player with his band the Mar-Keys, whose horn-driven "Last Night" became the label's first national hit. Cropper soon co-formed Booker T. & the M.G.'s—keyboardist Booker T. Jones, bassist Donald "Duck" Dunn, and drummer Al Jackson Jr.—whose 1962 jam session yielded "Green Onions," a No. 3 pop smash that sold over 2 million copies and put Stax on the map.
The quartet's tight, instrumental grooves backed Stax stars like Rufus and Carla Thomas, Johnnie Taylor, and Wilson Pickett, while Cropper's songcraft co-penned smashes including Eddie Floyd's "Knock on Wood" and Pickett's "634-5789 (Soulsville, U.S.A.)."Beyond Stax, where he rose to A&R head in the '60s before departing in 1970 amid label turmoil, Cropper's influence spanned decades.
He joined the Blues Brothers in 1978, riffing on "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" and "Soul Man" for their blockbuster film soundtrack, and later guested with Neil Young, Bob Dylan, and Levon Helm. Solo albums like 1969's With a Little Help From My Friends and 1980's Playin' My Thang showcased his versatility, while M.G.'s reunions fueled tours into the 2010s. Even in his 80s, Cropper gigged relentlessly, producing for Levon Helm and mentoring at the Stax Museum.
As Booker T. Jones eulogized in a statement, "Steve was the heartbeat of Stax, the riff that made us move." Tributes poured in Thursday from Quincy Jones ("A true architect of American music") to the Grammys' official account ("RIP to the man whose strings tied soul together"). A memorial at the Stax Museum is planned for early 2026, ensuring the "Green Onions" groove lives on.