Steve Cropper: Stax Guitarist and ‘Memphis Sound’ Creator Dies at 84

Okay, here’s a breakdown of the key data from the provided text, focusing on Steve Cropper and his‍ relationship with ⁢Otis Redding, ⁢as well as ‍his career:

Key Points‍ about Steve Cropper & Otis Redding:

* ⁢ “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the bay”: Cropper played guitar on this iconic song. Otis Redding specifically requested ‍Cropper ⁤for the track, stating, “Hell, Crop, that’s what‍ I want.”
* Age Disparity: Cropper was ⁢surprised to learn he ⁣and Redding were the same age. He‍ always viewed Redding as an older brother figure due to Redding’s wisdom.
* Post-Death Completion: Cropper finished the song shortly after⁢ Redding’s tragic death ⁣in a plane crash⁤ in December 1967.
* ⁣ Emotional Mixing ⁢Process: Cropper found it incredibly challenging‍ to mix “(Sittin’ On) The dock of⁣ the Bay,” staying up for ⁢24 hours to complete it. He personally delivered⁤ the master recording to a stewardess ⁣at the airport.

Steve Cropper’s⁤ Career Highlights:

*⁤ ⁢ Early Years & The⁤ Mar-keys: Cropper moved ⁢to‍ Memphis as ⁢a child and co-founded the⁢ band The Mar-Keys in the early 1960s. ⁢They recorded the instrumental⁤ hit “Last Night” for⁣ Stax Records in 1961.
* ⁢ Stax Records house Band: The ⁢Mar-Keys became the house band for Stax Records.
* Booker‍ T. & The MG’s: Members of‍ the Mar-Keys were rebranded as Booker ⁣T. &‍ The MG’s,‍ with Booker T. Jones as the frontman,and released their own successful records.
* ⁣ Session⁣ Musician in Los Angeles: After leaving Stax, Cropper moved to Los Angeles and‍ became a highly sought-after session musician, working with artists⁢ like John Lennon.

Let ⁣me know if you’d ‍like me to elaborate‍ on any specific aspect of the⁤ text!