Steve Cropper, the acclaimed guitarist behind Memphis hits like ‘Green Onions’ and ‘In the Midnight Hour,’ has passed away at the age of 84.

Pat Mitchell Worley, who leads the Soulsville Foundation as its president and CEO, stated that Cropper's relatives informed her of his passing on Wednesday in Nashville. The foundation manages the Stax Museum of American Soul Music in Memphis, situated at the former location of Stax Records, where Cropper had been employed for an extended period.

The immediate cause of death remained unclear. Longtime colleague Eddie Gore stated he was with Cropper on Tuesday at a Nashville rehabilitation center, where Cropper had been staying following a recent tumble. Gore mentioned that Cropper had been engaged in creating new songs during his visit.

“He’s such a good human,” Gore said. “We were blessed to have him, for sure.”

The musician, who also penned tunes and produced records, wasn't recognized for ostentatious performances, yet his understated, memorable guitar riffs and dependable rhythmic skills were instrumental in shaping Memphis soul music. During an era when it was typical for Caucasian performers to borrow from the creations of African American artists and profit more from their compositions, Cropper stood out as an uncommon white performer prepared to maintain a less prominent position and work together.

‘Play it, Steve!’

Cropper's very designation was forever remembered in the 1967 blockbuster “Soul Man,” performed by Sam & Dave. In the middle, vocalist Sam Moore shouts out “Play it, Steve!” As Cropper executes a sharp, resonant musical phrase, a sliding tone that Cropper fashioned using a Zippo lighter. This interaction was recreated in the late 1970s when Cropper became part of the John Belushi-Dan Aykroyd ensemble “The Blues Brothers” and performed on their successful rendition of “Soul Man.”

During a 2020 interview with The Associated Press, Cropper spoke about his professional journey and his skill in bridging musical spaces with a key phrase or two.

“I listen to the other musicians and the singer,” Cropper said. “I’m not listening to just me. I make sure I’m sounding OK before we start the session. Once we’ve presented the song, then I listen to the song and the way they interpret it. And I play around all that stuff. That’s what I do. That’s my style.”

The Rolling Stones' guitarist, Keith Richards, when questioned about Cropper, offered a straightforward response: “Perfect, man.” In a YouTube tutorial video, the exceptionally skilled guitarist Joe Bonamassa notes that Cropper's techniques are frequently emulated.

“If you haven’t heard the name Steve Cropper, you’ve heard him in song,” Bonamassa said.

He got his first guitar at 14

Near Dora, Missouri, was where Cropper entered the world, relocating to Memphis with his relatives at the age of nine. He acquired his initial guitar through mail order when he was fourteen, as per his website, playitsteve.com.. His formative musical inspirations included Chuck Berry, Jimmy Reed, and Chet Atkins.

Cropper was associated with Stax prior to its renaming, when Jim Stewart and Estelle Axton established it as Satellite Records back in 1957. In the early 1960s, Satellite enlisted Cropper and his instrumental group, the Royals Spades. The ensemble quickly rebranded as the Mar-Keys and achieved success with “Last Night.”

Satellite was subsequently rebranded as Stax, with a portion of the Mar-Keys transitioning to serve as the label's horn ensemble, while Cropper and the remaining Mar-Keys established Booker T. And the M.G.'s. Comprised of Cropper, keyboardist Booker T. Jones, bassist Donald “Duck” Dunn, and drummer Al Jackson, this group gained recognition for their successful instrumental tracks “Green Onions,” “Hang ‘Em High” and “Time Is Tight,”, and provided accompaniment for artists such as Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, and others.

The multiracial ensemble, an uncommon sight at the time, garnered such acclaim that musicians outside of Stax also collaborated with them, most prominently Wilson Pickett. Jones, the sole remaining musician from the group, and Jackson are African American. Dunn and Cropper are Caucasian.

“When you walked in the door at Stax, there was absolutely no color,” Cropper said in the AP interview. “We were all there for the same reason — to get a hit record.”

Inspired by gospel song

During the mid-1960s, Atlantic Records official Jerry Wexler arranged for Pickett to collaborate with The Stax musicians. At a 2015 event hosted by The National Music Publishers Association, Cropper admitted he was unfamiliar with Pickett prior to their collaboration. He discovered some gospel tracks by Pickett, was captivated by the phrase “I’ll see my Jesus in the midnight hour”, and with a minor alteration, assisted in composing a secular hit.

“The man up there has been forgiving me for this ever since!” He said.

Cropper was admitted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992 as part of Booker T. And the M.G.’s. In that same year, Cropper, Dunn, and Jones performed in a star-studded tribute event at Madison Square Garden honoring Bob Dylan. Al Jackson passed away in 1975, and Dunn in 2012.

Rolling Stone magazine placed Cropper at number 39 on its compilation of the 100 Greatest Guitarists, describing him as “the secret ingredient in some of the greatest rock and soul songs.”

Cropper maintained a particularly strong connection with Redding. During a conversation featured on his own site, Cropper recollected their joint work on “(Sittin’ on) the Dock of the Bay,”, which was finished just prior to Redding's passing in a fatal aviation incident in December 1967, and which subsequently reached the top spot on the charts in 1968.

The somber, folk-inspired song served as a poignant contemplation of his successful performance at the Monterey Pop Festival several months prior. Cropper recalled making the last adjustments to the track while still mourning Redding.

“We had been looking for the crossover song,” he said. “This song, we knew we had it.”

Cropper appeared in the 1980 film “The Blues Brothers” and its sequel, “Blues Brothers 2000,”, embodying “The Colonel” within the Blues Brothers musical group. He also performed with them on tour in actuality.

In 2005, he was admitted to the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and a Grammy Award for lifetime achievement was bestowed upon him two years after that.

Cropper kept making music until his final years, with his 2024 work “Friendlytown,” earning a Grammy nomination. Just recently, Cropper was presented with The Tennessee Governor’s Arts Award, the state's most prestigious artistic recognition.

___

Associated Press National Writer Hillel Italie contributed reporting from New York.