Steve Cropper’s first reaction when Eddie Floyd said he wanted to write something about superstitions was rather circumspect: “Doesn’t Stevie Wonder already have a song about that?” You May Also Like: Steve Cropper on the Beatles’ flirtation with Stax: ‘Didn’t happen for a lot of different reasons’

Steve Cropper has claimed his share of accolades as a guitarist, finishing at No. 35 on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the 100 greatest and while ending up at No. 2 on the Mojo list. But who’s his favorite? You May Also Like: Steve Cropper explores the mysteries of hisRead More

A trick of fate launched Otis Redding’s career. He was, in 1962, working with a flamboyant guitarist named Johnny Jenkins, who had some unused studio time at Stax Records. Up to the mic stepped Redding. You May Also Like: Otis Redding’s “Dock of the Bay” emerged out of crushing grief:Read More

Booker T. and MGs were pioneers of funky-cool soul and Civil Rights-era forward thinking. But it might not have happened, but for a chance meeting at a local Memphis record shop. You May Also Like: Inside the naming of Booker T. and the MGs’ ‘Green Onions’ : ‘The stinking-est musicRead More

Otis Redding’s 1965 No. 11 R&B hit “I Can’t Turn You Loose” was aptly named, considering that he refused to leave for his next show until guitarist Steve Cropper laid down the song’s famous lick. You May Also Like: Otis Redding tried something new with ‘Dock of the Bay,’ evenRead More

You know Steve Cropper from his legendary work with Otis Redding, Rufus Thomas, William Bell, Johnnie Taylor — and, of course, with Booker T. and the MGs. His beginnings with the Stax Record label, however, were decidedly less glamorous. You May Also Like: John Belushi’s death almost ended Steve Cropper’sRead More

Blues Brothers 2000, the belated sequel to 1980’s blockbuster Blues Brothers, wouldn’t be as heralded as the first — and that’s in no small way because original star John Belushi was gone. Yet, Steve Cropper might just have better memories the second time around. You May Also Like: For SteveRead More

Steve Cropper, the ace producer and sideman at Stax Records, ended up playing with most every one he’d ever admired over the years — except for one person You May Also Like: Otis Redding tried something new with ‘Dock of the Bay,’ even if someone else got credit Steve CropperRead More

For guitarist Steve Cropper, an intuitive sense of things served him well. Twice, when it came to legendary riffs on what would become legendary Stax songs, he simply did what came naturally. You May Also Like: Steve Cropper’s research into then-unknown Wilson Pickett sparked his initial hit: ‘I found someRead More

The Lorraine Motel, refurbished now as the National Civil Rights Museum, has become a cultural touchstone in the wake of Martin Luther King’s murder. But that Memphis landmark holds another place of historical significance. You May Also Like: Steve Cropper on the Beatles’ flirtation with Stax: ‘Didn’t happen for aRead More