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Steve Cropper
Cropper performing in 2008
Background information
Born	Steven Lee Cropper (1941-10-21)October 21, 1941 (age 84) Dora, Missouri, U.S.
Origin	Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.
Genres	R&B soul southern soul electric blues blues
Occupations	Musician songwriter producer actor
Instrument	Guitar
Years active	1958–present
Labels	Stax Provogue
Member of	The Blues Brothers
Formerly of	Booker T. & the M.G.'s
Website	playitsteve.com

Steven Lee Cropper (born October 21, 1941),^[1] sometimes known as "The Colonel", is an American guitarist,songwriter andrecord producer. He was the guitarist of theStax Recordshouse band,Booker T. & the M.G.'s, which backed artists such asOtis Redding,Wilson Pickett,Sam & Dave,Carla Thomas,Rufus Thomas andJohnnie Taylor. He also acted as the producer of many of these records. He was later a member ofthe Blues Brothers band.^[2]Rolling Stone magazine ranked him 36th on its list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time,^[3] while he has won twoGrammy Awards from his seven nominations.^[4][5]

Born on a farm nearWillow Springs, Missouri, Cropper lived inDora andWest Plains before moving with his family toMemphis at age 9.^[6] In Memphis, he was exposed toblack church music, which had an impact on him musically.^[6] Cropper acquired his first guitar at age 14.^[6]

He admired guitarists includingTal Farlow,Chuck Berry,Jimmy Reed,Chet Atkins,Lowman Pauling of theThe "5" Royales andBilly Butler of theBill Doggett band.^[1]

Cropper and guitarist Charlie Freeman formed the Royal Spades, who eventually becamethe Mar-Keys.^[7] The name referred to the marquee outsideStax studios, known as Satellite Records at the time. Eventually, the Mar-Keys began playing on sessions and had a hit single of their own with "Last Night" in 1961.

Besides being impressed with the young guitarist's playing, Stax Records presidentJim Stewart saw professionalism and maturity beyond Cropper's years. WhenAmerican Records founderChips Moman left Stax, Cropper became the company'sA&R man. He became a founding member of the Staxhouse bandBooker T. & the M.G.'s, along withHammond organ playerBooker T. Jones, bassistLewie Steinberg (who was replaced byDonald "Duck" Dunn soon thereafter) and drummerAl Jackson Jr.^[8] As a house guitarist, he played on many recordings such as "(Sittin' On) the Dock of the Bay", co-written with and performed byOtis Redding and Sam & Dave's "Soul Man" on which he was mentioned by name. When Cropper played on the song's remake by the Blues Brothers, lead singerJohn Belushi again mentioned Cropper. On the early Stax recordings, Cropper is known to have played a 1956Fender Esquire and later used a blondeFender Telecaster.

At this time, Cropper's fame was not limited to the United States.The Beatles favored Cropper's playing, and his production onOtis Redding records.John Lennon andPaul McCartney made tentative plans to record in Memphis and to work with the guitarist. HoweverBrian Epstein canceled the sessions, citing security problems.^[9] Regarding this period,Rob Bowman, in his bookSoulsville U.S.A.: The Story of Stax Records, quoted Booker T. Jones as saying:

We were writing sounds too, especially Steve. He's very sound-conscious and he gets a lot of sounds out of a Telecaster without changing any settings — just by using his fingers, hispicks and hisamps.

Along with influential work with Booker T & The MG's, Cropper co-wrote "Knock on Wood" withEddie Floyd, "In the Midnight Hour" withWilson Pickett and "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" with Otis Redding. In 1969, Cropper released his first solo album,With a Little Help From My Friends.

When Cropper left Stax in the fall of 1970,^[10] the label lost one of its most successful producers and songwriters. Cropper then set up TMI Studios with Jerry Williams and former Mar-Key Ronnie Stoots. He worked with many musicians includingTower of Power,Rod Stewart,John Prine,José Feliciano,The Jeff Beck Group,Ringo Starr andJohn Lennon.

By 1975, Cropper had moved to Los Angeles and along with Jones, Jackson and Dunn, reformed Booker T. & the M.G.'s. Jackson, whom Cropper called "the greatest drummer to ever walk the Earth," was murdered in his Memphis home before the group could make their comeback. In 1978, Cropper and Dunn became members ofLevon Helm's RCO All-Stars and then went on to figure prominently in the Blues Brothers Band with drummerWillie Hall. This led to two albums, appearances in the moviesBlues Brothers andBlues Brothers 2000, and the movies' soundtracks. Cropper also re-recorded "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" (1979) forSammy Hagar. Cropper lived in Los Angeles for the next thirteen years before moving to Nashville and reuniting with the Blues Brothers Band in 1988.

Cropper has a cameo in the"Weird Al" YankovicmockumentaryThe Compleat Al (1985), where he plays a bit of "Soul Man" in an unsuccessful attempt to join Al's band.

In 1991 Cropper played on two separate nights of the Expo '92 Guitar Legends concerts as part of the celebration of Seville hosting the 1992Expo exhibition. The concerts over five nights included some of the world's best guitarists such as Cropper, BB King, Robert Cray, Eric Clapton, Bo Diddley, Brian May, Albert Collins, Bob Dylan, Joe Satriani, and Steve Vai.

In 1992, Booker T. & the M.G.'s were inducted into theRock and Roll Hall of Fame and Cropper appeared with a new line-up of the group for theBob Dylan 30th Anniversary concert, in October 1992 atMadison Square Garden, performing songs by andbacking Dylan,Eric Clapton,George Harrison,Tom Petty,Johnny Cash,Chrissie Hynde,Sinéad O'Connor,Stevie Wonder andNeil Young. The concert was recorded and later released asThe 30th Anniversary Concert Celebration (1993). Young later recruited this line up of Booker T. and the M.G's to tour with him and record as his studio band.

In 1996, Cropper was named "the greatest living guitar player" by Britain'sMojo magazine. When asked what he thought of Cropper, the guitaristKeith Richards said, "Perfect, man."^[11] In February 1998, Cropper releasedThe Interview — Play It, Steve! which included some ofsoul music's most enduring songs. The album title came from the "shout" of the title phrase by Moore on Sam & Dave's "Soul Man" and later byJohn Belushi (with the Blues Brothers).

In June 2004, Cropper appeared with Dunn and Jones as the backing band for Eric Clapton'sCrossroads Guitar Festival, held at theCotton Bowl in Dallas. Others who appeared includedJoe Walsh andDavid Hidalgo.^[12] On June 9, 2005, Cropper was inducted into theSongwriters Hall of Fame.

He co-producedThe Memphis Album (2007), recorded by Australian soul singerGuy Sebastian. Cropper also played guitar on the subsequent promotional tour, which was recorded and released two years later asThe Memphis Tour. On March 2, 2008, Cropper and Sebastian were guests on theVega Sunday Session with hostMark Gable from the rock bandthe Choirboys.^[13] On July 29, 2008, Cropper andFelix Cavaliere released the albumNudge It Up A Notch. In August 2008, Cropper appeared at theRhythm Festival alongsidethe Animals.^[14]

On November 12, 2009, EMP/SFM presented Cropper with their "Founders Award". On October 17, 2010, Cropper was inducted into theNashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.^[15]

On August 9, 2011, Cropper released the albumDedicated which was his tribute tothe "5" Royales. In 2013 he was a special guest at selected concerts as part ofPeter Frampton's Guitar Circus Tour, including the first performance which featured Frampton,Robert Cray andVince Gill.^[16]

In April 2013, Cropper appeared with Jones,Matt "Guitar" Murphy, as well as Booker T. & the MG's at Eric Clapton's 4th Crossroads Guitar Festival at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

In November 2021, Cropper'sFire It Up was nominated for aGrammy Award in theBest Contemporary Blues Album category.^[5]

On August 25, 2022, Cropper appeared on stage withTed Nugent atGraceland soundstage where they played "In The Midnight Hour" together.

In August 2024, Under the band name Steve Cropper and the Midnight Hour, Cropper released the albumFriendlytown.Billy Gibbons ofZZ Top is featured on lead guitar throughout the album, whileBrian May ofQueen guests on the singleToo Much Stress.^[17]

• 1969:With a Little Help from My Friends^[18]
• 1969:Jammed Together (with Albert King and Pops Staples)^[19]
• 1971:This Is ... Steve Cropper & His Friends (compilation ofWith a Little Help from My Friends andJammed Together, released in France only)
• 1981:Playin' My Thang
• 1982:Night After Night
• 1998:The Interview — Play It, Steve!
• 2008:Nudge It Up A Notch (with Felix Cavaliere)
• 2010:Midnight Flyer (with Felix Cavaliere)
• 2011:Dedicated — A Salute to the 5 Royales
• 2017:Steve Cropper, Lou Marini and the Original Blues Brothers Band — The Last Shade of Blue Before Black
• 2018:Telemasters (with Arlen Roth)
• 2021:Fire It Up
• 2024:Friendlytown

• 1980:The Blues Brothers as himself
• 1988:Satisfaction as Sal
• 1999:Blues Brothers 2000 as himself
• 2008:Be Kind Rewind as himself
• 2017:Rock 'n' Roll Guns for Hire: The Story of the Sidemen as himself

• Official website
• The official Steve Cropper MySpace page
• Steve Cropper Interview atNAMM Oral History Collection (2015)
• Steve Cropper atIMDb
• Steve Cropper discography atDiscogs

• 1941 births
• Living people
• American blues guitarists
• American soul guitarists
• American male guitarists
• American session musicians
• Grammy Award winners
• American lead guitarists
• Guitarists from Missouri
• People from Ozark County, Missouri
• Booker T. & the M.G.'s members
• The Blues Brothers members
• American rock guitarists
• American rhythm and blues guitarists
• Guitarists from Tennessee
• Songwriters from Tennessee
• 20th-century American guitarists
• The Mar-Keys members

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