From:   "Dik de Heer" 
Date:  Mon Oct 21, 2002  1:05 am
Subject:  Born To Be With You : Steve Cropper
 
STEVE CROPPER

Born 21 October 1941, Willow Springs, Missouri

Guitarist / producer / arranger / songwriter.
Probably the best-known soul guitarist in the world, Cropper came to
prominence in the early '60s, first with the Mar-Keys ("Last Night"),
then as a founding member of Booker T. & the MG's. A major figure in
the Southern soul movement of the '60s, Cropper made his mark not
only as a player and arranger for Atlantic / Stax / Volt (most notably
on classic sides by Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, and Wilson Pickett)
but as a songwriter as well, co-writing the classic # 1 R&B hits "In the
Midnight Hour" for Wilson Pickett (1965), "Knock On Wood" for Eddie
Floyd (1966) and "Sittin' On The Dock Of The Bay" for Otis Redding
(1968, also a # 1 pop hit).
After the breakup of the MG's, Cropper spent most of the '70s doing
production work, for such artists as Jeff Beck, Mitch Ryder, Roy Head,
John Prine and Yvonne Elliman. In the '80s he rode the classic Stax
sound (which he helped shape) back to popularity with a new audience
when actors John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd tapped him for service in
the Blues Brothers, a Saturday Night Live skit that stretched into several
albums and a famous movie. Cropper can also be seen in the sequel, Blues
Brothers 2000.