Overview
- He had recently been in a rehabilitation facility after a fall, and longtime friend Eddie Gore said they worked on new music during a visit days before his death.
- Cropper helped define the Memphis soul sound as Stax Records’ house guitarist and producer, performing with artists including Otis Redding, Sam & Dave and Wilson Pickett.
- He co‑wrote landmark songs such as (Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay, In the Midnight Hour and Knock on Wood, earning two Grammys and inductions into the Rock and Roll and Songwriters Halls of Fame.
- He later reached a wider audience with The Blues Brothers, appearing on the hit Briefcase Full of Blues album and in the 1980 and 1998 films.
- About a year ago he released a new album featuring Brian May and Billy Gibbons, and he is survived by his wife Angel and his children from this and a previous marriage.