Steve Cropper was one of the best guitarists many people never heard of. He wasn’t a flashy guitar god like Jimmy Page or Jimi Hendrix; he was a solid player who could seamlessly switch from rhythm to lead and back again. His rhythm playing was highly precise and often syncopated, with the space between notes often more important than the notes themselves. His lead lines were clean yet snarky, blues-based but able to weave in and around the vocals in any given song. He was an economic, efficient, and essential player who made any song he was on better for his presence.
Here’s how Steve Cropper described his own playing:
“I listen to the other musicians and the singer. 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.”
Most people know Steve Cropper from his work with Booker T. & the M.G.’s, but that was only one of many roles he played. As part of the M.G.’s he backed a cornucopia of talent at Stax Records, playing on tracks by Otis Redding, Sam and Dave, Eddie Floyd, Carla Thomas, and Rufus Thomas. He also backed non-Stax artists, such as Wilson Pickett, and was a key player in the Blues Brothers band. (John Belushi’s exhortation to “Play it, Steve” on their version of “Soul Man” was directed to Mr. Cropper, echoing Sam Moore’s similar cry on the Sam and Dave original.)
In addition to being a stellar guitarist, Steve Cropper was a top-notch songwriter, arranger, producer, and A&R man for Stax Records. He wrote or co-wrote numerous records that were hits for others, including “634-5789” and “In the Midnight Hour” for Wilson Pickett, “Knock on Wood” for Eddie Floyd, and “See Saw” for Don Convey. He co-wrote and produced Otis Redding’s final hit, “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay,” finishing it up after Redding’s tragic death.
Steve Cropper also co-wrote many of the tunes that were hits for Booker T. and the M.G.’s, including “Green Onions,” “Time is Tight,” and today’s classic song of the day, “Hip Hug-Her.” Released in March of 1967, “Hip Hug-Her” went to #37 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #6 on Billboard’s R&B chart. The tune features Cropper’s patented sharp-edged rhythm licks and a bluesy lead line that snakes around the song’s melody like a satin scarf.
Steve Cropper was born on October 21, 1941, in Dora, Missouri, but his family moved to Memphis when he was nine years old. He got started in the music business playing with a Memphis-based group called the Royal Spades, who signed to Satellite Records. Satellite Records became Stax Records and the Royal Spades became the Mar-Keys, who had a hit single in 1961 with “Last Night.” Steve soon became the main A&R man for Stax and was a founding member of Stax’s house band, better known as Booker T. and the M.G.’s. He progressed to producing and songwriting and had a memorable career that lasted sixty or so years.
My wife and I caught Steve with Booker T. and the M.G.’s twice at Minneapolis’ Dakota Jazz Club, once on their own and once with vocalist Eddie Floyd. Both times the group blew the roof off the joint, with Steve’s guitar playing being a highlight and the driving force. To be honest, I’ve never heard a better guitar-bass combo than Steve Cropper and Duck Dunn; those two could read each other’s minds. Steve and the boys put a smile on my face from the start of the set to the very end, and did it twice.
Steve Cropper helped make Stax Records and was a driving force in 20th century soul music. He may not have been the flashiest guitarist around, but he was the hardest grooving. We lost him yesterday, on December 3, 2025. He was 84 years old.
