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Steve Cropper
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==Career== Cropper and guitarist Charlie Freeman formed the Royal Spades, who eventually became [[the Mar-Keys]].<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XLdsRwpZ9oYC&q=%22the+royal+spades%22+%2B+marquee&pg=PA24 |title=Soulsville, U.S.A.: The Story of Stax Records - Rob Bowman, Bowman, Robert M. J. (Robert Maxwell James) - Google Books |isbn=9780825672842 | access-date=2021-10-15 |last1=Bowman |first1=Rob |year=1997 |publisher=Schirmer Books }}</ref> The name referred to the marquee outside [[Stax Records|Stax]] 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 (Mar-Keys)|Last Night]]" in 1961. [[File:Booker T. & the M.G's 1967 press photo.jpg|left|thumb|Steve Cropper (second from right) with Booker T. & the M.G.'s, 1967]] Besides being impressed with the young guitarist's playing, Stax Records president [[Jim Stewart (music)|Jim Stewart]] saw professionalism and maturity beyond Cropper's years. When [[American Recordings (US)|American Records]] founder [[Chips Moman]] left Stax, Cropper became the company's [[A&R]] man. He became a founding member of the Stax [[house band]] [[Booker T. & the M.G.'s]], along with [[Hammond organ]] player [[Booker T. Jones]], bassist [[Lewie Steinberg]] (who was replaced by [[Donald "Duck" Dunn]] soon thereafter) and drummer [[Al Jackson Jr.]]<ref>[https://www.allmusic.com/artist/booker-t-the-mgs-mn0000772733/biography Booker T. & the M.G.'s] retrieved 16 October 2021</ref> As a house guitarist, he played on many recordings such as "[[(Sittin' On) the Dock of the Bay]]", co-written with and performed by [[Otis Redding]] and Sam & Dave's "[[Soul Man (song)|Soul Man]]" on which he was mentioned by name. When Cropper played on the song's remake by the Blues Brothers, lead singer [[John Belushi]] again mentioned Cropper. On the early Stax recordings, Cropper is known to have played a 1956 [[Fender Esquire]] and later used a blonde [[Fender Telecaster]]. At this time, Cropper's fame was not limited to the United States. [[The Beatles]] favored Cropper's playing, and his production on [[Otis Redding]] records. [[John Lennon]] and [[Paul McCartney]] made tentative plans to record in Memphis and to work with the guitarist. However [[Brian Epstein]] canceled the sessions, citing security problems.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.tennesseeconcerts.com/beatles.html|title=The Beatles Tennessee Connections | publisher= Tennessee Concerts | access-date=2010-02-14}}</ref> Regarding this period, [[Rob Bowman (music writer)|Rob Bowman]], in his book ''Soulsville U.S.A.: The Story of Stax Records'', quoted Booker T. Jones as saying: {{blockquote|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, his [[guitar pick|picks]] and his [[amplifier|amps]].}} Along with influential work with Booker T & The MG's, Cropper co-wrote "[[Knock on Wood (Eddie Floyd song)|Knock on Wood]]" with [[Eddie Floyd]], "[[In the Midnight Hour]]" with [[Wilson 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''. [[File: Steve Cropper.JPG|thumb|upright=0.7|Steve Cropper at the Hamar Music Festival, 2007]] When Cropper left Stax in the fall of 1970,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.playitsteve.com/bio2.html|title=Steve Cropper, Blues Brothers....|publisher=Play it Steve|access-date=2010-02-14|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100125234503/http://www.playitsteve.com/bio2.html|archive-date=January 25, 2010|df=mdy-all}}</ref> 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 including [[Tower of Power]], [[Rod Stewart]], [[John Prine]], [[José Feliciano]], [[The Jeff Beck Group]], [[Ringo Starr]] and [[John 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 of [[Levon Helm]]'s RCO All-Stars and then went on to figure prominently in the Blues Brothers Band with drummer [[Willie Hall (drummer)|Willie Hall]]. This led to two albums, appearances in the movies ''[[The Blues Brothers (film)|Blues Brothers]]'' and ''[[The Blues Brothers (film)|Blues Brothers 2000]]'', and the movies' soundtracks. Cropper also re-recorded "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" (1979) for [[Sammy 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" Yankovic]] [[mockumentary]] ''[[The 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 1992 [[World's fair|Expo 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 the [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]] and Cropper appeared with a new line-up of the group for the [[Bob Dylan]] 30th Anniversary concert, in October 1992 at [[Madison Square Garden]], performing songs by and [[Backup band|backing]] Dylan, [[Eric Clapton]], [[George Harrison]], [[Tom Petty]], [[Johnny Cash]], [[Chrissie Hynde]], [[Sinéad O'Connor]], [[Stevie Wonder]] and [[Neil Young]]. The concert was recorded and later released as ''[[The 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's ''[[Mojo magazine|Mojo]]'' magazine. When asked what he thought of Cropper, the guitarist [[Keith Richards]] said, "Perfect, man."<ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-08-31 |title=Steve Cropper...Almost Famous (Observations from the Edge, with the Courier's Lee Kann) |url=https://newpittsburghcourier.com/2018/08/31/steve-cropper-almost-famous-observations-from-the-edge-with-the-couriers-lee-kann/ |access-date=2025-02-26 |website=New Pittsburgh Courier |language=en-US}}</ref> In February 1998, Cropper released ''The Interview — Play It, Steve!'' which included some of [[soul 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 by [[John Belushi]] (with the Blues Brothers). In June 2004, Cropper appeared with Dunn and Jones as the backing band for Eric Clapton's [[Crossroads Guitar Festival]], held at the [[Cotton Bowl (stadium)|Cotton Bowl]] in Dallas. Others who appeared included [[Joe Walsh]] and [[David Hidalgo]].<ref>Eric Clapton Crossroads Guitar Festival DVD Video R2 970378, 2004</ref> On June 9, 2005, Cropper was inducted into the [[Songwriters Hall of Fame]]. [[File: Guy Sebastian The Memphis Tour 7 Mar 2008.JPG|right|thumb|215px|Cropper toured Australia with [[Guy Sebastian]], playing on Sebastian's [[The Memphis Album]] tour in March 2008]] He co-produced ''[[The Memphis Album]]'' (2007), recorded by Australian soul singer [[Guy Sebastian]]. Cropper also played guitar on the subsequent promotional tour, which was recorded and released two years later as ''[[The Memphis Tour]]''. On March 2, 2008, Cropper and Sebastian were guests on the ''Vega Sunday Session'' with host [[Mark Gable]] from the rock band [[The Choirboys (band)|the Choirboys]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,23253104-5006024,00.html | title = Happy Guy Sebastian bares his soul | work = Sunday Herald Sun | publisher = News | access-date = 2012-07-15 | first=Bryan | last = Patterson | date=February 24, 2008}}</ref> On July 29, 2008, Cropper and [[Felix Cavaliere]] released the album ''Nudge It Up A Notch''. In August 2008, Cropper appeared at the [[Rhythm Festival]] alongside [[the Animals]].<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.rhythmfestival.net/index.html| title=Rhythm Festival 2008| publisher=Rhythm Festival| access-date=2010-02-14| url-status=dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100724054959/http://www.rhythmfestival.net/index.html| archive-date=July 24, 2010| df=mdy-all}}</ref> On November 12, 2009, EMP/SFM presented Cropper with their "Founders Award". On October 17, 2010, Cropper was inducted into the [[Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nashvillesongwritersfoundation.com/2010/nashville-songwriters-hall-of-fame-2010-inductees.aspx|title=Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame 2010 Inductees|publisher=Nashville Song Writers Foundation|access-date=2011-11-02|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101021075107/http://www.nashvillesongwritersfoundation.com/2010/nashville-songwriters-hall-of-fame-2010-inductees.aspx|archive-date=October 21, 2010|df=mdy-all}}</ref> On August 9, 2011, Cropper released the album ''Dedicated'' which was his tribute to [[the "5" Royales]]. In 2013 he was a special guest at selected concerts as part of [[Peter Frampton]]'s Guitar Circus Tour, including the first performance which featured Frampton, [[Robert Cray]] and [[Vince Gill]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.frampton.com/news/ |title=Peter Frampton | News |publisher=Frampton.com |date=October 29, 2013 |access-date=2014-02-16}}</ref> 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's ''Fire It Up'' was nominated for a [[Grammy Award]] in the [[Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Blues Album|Best Contemporary Blues Album]] category.<ref name="2022 Grammys"/> On August 25, 2022, Cropper appeared on stage with [[Ted Nugent]] at [[Graceland]] 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 album ''Friendlytown''. [[Billy Gibbons]] of [[ZZ Top]] is featured on lead guitar throughout the album, while [[Brian May]] of [[Queen (band)|Queen]] guests on the single ''Too Much Stress''.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Gersztyn |first1=Bob |title=Steve Cropper and the Midnight Hour: Friendlytown Review |url=https://bluesrockreview.com/2024/08/steve-cropper-and-the-midnight-hour-friendlytown-review.html |website=Blues Rock Review |date=August 23, 2024 |access-date=30 August 2024}}</ref>
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