Stax Icon Steve Cropper Remembered As "Green Onions" Guitar Genius Dies at 84

Steve Cropper, the iconic guitarist of Booker T. & the M.G.'s and Blues Brothers, passed away at 84 in Nashville after a recent fall at a rehab center. A Stax Records pioneer from age 20, he crafted timeless riffs on "Green Onions," which topped R&B charts, and hits like Otis Redding's "The Dock of the Bay" and Sam & Dave's "Soul Man," where Sam Moore shouts "Play it, Steve!" As house band for the racially integrated Stax crew amid segregation, Cropper emphasized unity with "No color barrier and just hit records." Inducted into Rock Hall (1992) and Songwriters Hall (2005), he produced and jammed late into life. Survived by wife Angel and four kids. A true American music great.