Steve Cropper – CRI-1001 Tester manufacturer – CRI Tester manufacturer
Early life
In 1950, his family moved to Memphis, Tennessee. Aged ten he strummed is brother-in-law’s Gibson guitar, for the first time. Cropper received his first guitar aged 14 and started playing with local musicians. His hero at the time was Lowman Pauling of the Winston-Salem, NC band The Five Royales.
Career
Cropper and guitarist Charlie Freeman formed The Royal Spades, who eventually became The Mar-Keys. The Mar-Keys was a play on the word “marquee”, referring to the marquee outside of Stax studios, known as Satellite Records at that time. Eventually The Mar-Keys began playing on sessions and had a hit single of their own with “Last Night” (1961).
Steve Cropper in concert (1990)
Besides being impressed with the young guitarist’s playing, Stax Records president Jim Stewart saw professionalism, and maturity beyond Cropper’s years. When American Records founder Chips Moman left Stax, the young Cropper was given the keys to the studio and he 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 Donald “Duck” Dunn, and drummer Al Jackson, Jr.. 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 “Soul Man”.
At this time Cropper’s fame was not limited to the United States. The Beatles favoured Cropper’s playing and his production on Otis Redding records. In fact John Lennon and Paul McCartney made tentative plans to record in Memphis and to work with the guitarist. However Brian Epstein cancelled the sessions, citing security problems. During this period Rob Bowman, in his book Soulsville U.S.A.: The Story Of Stax Records, quotes 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 ust by using his fingers, his picks, and his amps
Besides his influential work with Bookert’&The MG’s, Cropper co-wrote “Knock On Wood” with Eddie Floyd, “In the Midnight Hour” with Wilson Pickett and “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay” with Otis Redding. His partnership with Redding was particularly fruitful. “(Sittin’ On) The Dock Of the Bay” alone has been played over six million times, making it the sixth most-played song of all time. In 1969 Cropper released his first solo album With a Little Help From My Friends.
Steve Cropper at the Hamar Music Festival (2007)
Cropper left Stax in the fall of 1970. and Stax lost its most successful producer and one of the label’s most successful songwriters. He set up TMI studios with Jerry Williams and former Mar-Key Ronnie Stoots. There he lent his guitar and producing skills to Tower Of Power, John Prine, Jose Feliciano, The Jeff Beck Group#The second Jeff Beck Group, Ringo Starrand John Lennon.
By 1975 Cropper had moved to Los Angeles and along with Al Jackson and Duck Dunn, he reformed Booker T. & the M.G’s. Tragically Jackson, who 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 they went on to front The Blues Brothers Band with Al Jackson’s proteg drummer Willie Hall. This led to two albums and two movie soundtracks. Cropper also re-recorded “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay” (1979) for Sammy Hagar. Cropper lived in L.A. for the next thirteen years before moving to Nashville and was reunited with The Blues Brothers Bandin 1988.
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 Booker T. & the M.G’s, for the Bob Dylan 30th Anniversary concert, on October 1992 at Madison Square Gardens. At this concert they performed songs by Bob Dylan and backed Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, George Harrison, Tom Petty, Johnny Cash, Chrissie Hynde, Sinad O’Connor, Stevie Wonder and Neil Young. The concert was recorded and later released as The 30th Anniversary Concert Celebration (1993). Neil Young later recruited this line up of Booker T. and the M.G’s, to tour with him and record at his studio band.
In 1996, Cropper was named the greatest living guitar player by Britain’s Mojo Magazine. When asked what he thought of Cropper, the guitarist Keith Richards said “Perfect, man”. In February 1998 Cropper released Play It, Steve! which included some of Soul music’s most enduring songs. The album title comes 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 “Duck” Dunn and Booker T. Jones as the backing band for Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival, held at the Cotton Bowl, Dallas. Others who appeared included Joe Walsh and David Hidalgo. On June 9, 2005 he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, in recognition of his contributions to music.
Steve Cropper tours Australia with Guy Sebastian playing on Guy’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 following 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. . 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.
On November 12 2009 EMP/SFM presented Cropper with their Founders Award.
References
^ Allmusic biography.
^ “The Beatles Tennessee Connections”. tennesseeconcerts.com. http://www.tennesseeconcerts.com/beatles.html.
^ “Steve Cropper, Blues Brothers….”. http://www.playitsteve.com/bio2.html. Retrieved 2010-14-02.
^ Eric Clapton Crossroads Guitar Festival DVD Video R2 970378, 2004
^ “Vega Sunday Session with Steve Cropper and Guy Sebastian”. www.news.com.au. http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,23253104-5006024,00.html. Retrieved 2010-14-02.
^ “Rhythm Festival 2008”. rhythmfestival.net. http://www.rhythmfestival.net/index.html. Retrieved 2010-14-02.
External links
Soulsville USA: The Story of Stax Records By Rob Bowman
Cropper’s official website
The Official Steve Cropper MySpace Page
http://www.tennesseeconcerts.com/stevecropper.html
http://www.tennesseeconcerts.com/beatles.html
http://www.discogs.com/artist/Steve+Cropper
http://www.empsfm.org/press/index.asp?articleID=1426
v d e
Stax/Volt Records
Major figures
Jim Stewart Estelle Axton Al Bell Steve Cropper Booker T. Jones Donald “Duck” Dunn Al Jackson, Jr. Isaac Hayes David Porter Jerry Wexler Clive Davis
Major artists
(Atlantic years)
Otis Redding Sam & Dave Carla Thomas Rufus Thomas The Mar-Keys Booker T. & The MG’s William Bell (singer) Eddie Floyd Johnnie Taylor Albert King The Bar-Kays
Major artists
(Post-Atlantic)
Isaac Hayes David Porter Eddie Floyd Johnnie Taylor The Rance Allen Group The Soul Children The Staple Singers The Temprees The Emotions Mel & Tim The Bar-Kays Linda Lyndell Richard Pryor Bill Cosby William Bell Little Milton Rev. Jesse Jackson Big Star
Modern Stax artists
Soulive Angie Stone Lalah Hathaway Leela James Isaac Hayes Leon Ware N’dambi Nikka Costa Teena Marie
Related Topics
Memphis, Tennessee Memphis Soul Soul Music Wattstax Stax Museum of American Soul Music Atlantic Records Union Planters Bank CBS Records Fantasy Records Concord Records Civil Rights Movement
Categories: 1941 births | American rhythm and blues guitarists | American session musicians | American songwriters | Grammy Award winners | Living people | Lead guitarists | Musicians from Missouri | People from Ozark County, Missouri | Songwriters Hall of Fame inductees
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