Guitarist Steve Cropper, renowned for his contributions to the greatest rhythm and blues and soul classics on the Stax Records label, led his own career on the bangs of the groups Booker T. & the MG's and The Mar-Keys. Born in Dora, Missouri, on October 21, 1941, Stephen Lee Cropper grew up in Memphis, where he took up the guitar at the age of 14. He formed The Royal Spades, which became The Mar-Keys after signing with Stax Records, for whom they recorded the hit instrumental "Last Night" (1961). Having become an essential session guitarist, he joined the in-house band Booker T. & the MG's, who signed the immortal "Green Onions " in 1962. In addition, Steve Cropper appeared alongside artists such as Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, Wilson Pickett, Eddie Floyd, William Bell, Albert King, Delaney & Bonnie and Carla Thomas. Between soul, blues, rock and funk, he oscillated from one genre to another on the albums With a Little Help from My Friends (1969) or Jammed Together with Albert King and Pops Staples (1969). The decades that followed saw him playing studio to studio for John Lennon, Rod Stewart, The Jeff Beck Group, José Feliciano, Peter Frampton and many others, including French artists (Michel Polnareff, Eddy Mitchell, Véronique Sanson, Axelle Red...). Engaged by The Blues Brothers, present at the reunions of The Booker T. & the MG's, Steve Cropper made two albums with Felix Cavaliere, followed by a tribute to the Five Royales, the vocal group of his childhood. Other albums included Fire It Up (2021) and Friendlytown (2024), with contributions from Billy Gibbons and Brian May. On December 3, 2025, Steve Cropper died following a fall, in Nashville, at the age of 84.
