Steve Cropper inadvertantly discovered the seeds of Wilson Pickett’s breakthrough song while trying to figure out just who Pickett was.

It’s easy to think of “Black Sun” as Death Cab for Cutie’s layered farewell to Chris Walla. Instead, it feels more like a new beginning.

Otis Redding’s “Dock of the Bay,” released 47 years ago this month, was a labor of love for his friend and musical companion Steve Cropper.

Not yet recognized as the Soul Queen of New Orleans, Irma Thomas had gone some time without a hit by the time she signed with Atlantic’s Cotillion subsidiary in the early 1970s. She’d last charted a pop hit in 1966, and had only gotten to No. 42 with her mostRead More

Jason Bonham has moved on, taking part in a trio of studio recordings with Black Country Communion. But that doesn’t mean the drummer doesn’t still feel the emotional pull of his time with Led Zeppelin. You May Also Like: Why ‘Celebration Day’ Provided the Perfect Farewell for Led Zeppelin

This English group combines alt-rock, world-music polyrhythms and chamber pop into an amalgam that sounds like David Byrne sitting in with Philip Glass. You May Also Like: John Edwards, Evan Parker, John Russell + others – Making Rooms (2016) Bjork’s Vocal-Focused ‘Medulla’ is Still Filled With Countless Surprises How theRead More

Tribute records are a tricky things; star-studded tribute projects even more so. It takes a strong unifying voice, some central character beyond the featured composer, to save them from sounding like choppy compilations. Steve Cropper, on today’s 429 Records release Dedicated, is that voice. Co-founder of Booker T and theRead More

Steve Cropper, of Booker T. and the MGs and Stax Records fame, has trouble picking any one moment on his upcoming star-studded project Dedicated as his favorite. So, we went further back into his legendary soul-soaked career. You May Also Like: No related posts.

A long-awaited advance single hails the return of that odd conundrum called Death Cab for Cutie, whose spit-take name can’t begin to hint at the deep musical complexities tucked away inside. You May Also Like: Death Cab for Cutie, “Summer Skin” from ‘Plans’ (2005): One Track Mind

“Am I Blue” is a largely forgotten argument for Ray Charles’ striking ability to synthesize jazz, blues, country and gospel into music with a broader appeal. That’s saying something, considering that it appears on The Genius of Ray Charles, a half-big band/half-strings Atlantic release that became one of his mostRead More