Guitarist Steve Cropper has died, aged 84. His signature sound was what made Stax Records the cream of the crop for soul music in the 60s. He was a member of Booker T. & the M.G.'s and the go-to 6-string maestro for artists such as Sam & Dave, Wilson Pickett, Otis Redding, and Carla Thomas. He was one of those rare musicians that are instantly recognizable, even after hearing only one note.
Legendary guitarist Steve Cropper was interviewed by The Aquarium Drunkard. On working with Booker T. Jones:
He is the greatest musician that I have ever worked with and I’ve worked with the best of the best of the best. I just think that Booker is phenomenal at every aspect of this business. He can create, write, make you feel good, complement you when you play. It doesn’t matter of it’s something simple or complicated, he’s always going to complement the other guy.
You don't have to tell Steve Cropper anything about playing guitar. He can do the talking himself in an interview with Modern Guitars Magazine:
I play the Cropper Classic, but it’s a prototype without Cropper Classic written on it. But, it is my settings, pickups, and all that sort of stuff. I have two that I play. Both are prototypes. One of them I’ve been playing almost fourteen years. They’re both Telecaster shaped, but one of them is grooved in the back like a Telecaster Deluxe, so there’s room for your belly. It's sort of contoured like a Strat, but it’s still a Telecaster.
Watch a 1991 live video of Steve Cropper performing Melting Pot at The Strand in NYC with Booker T Jones, Donald Duck Dunn and Anton Fig.
