Steve Cropper & The Midnight Hour
Biographie Steve Cropper & The Midnight Hour
Steve Cropper
One of the most influential session guitarists and R&B songwriters of our time, Steve Cropper rose to prominence in the studios of Memphis. He was a guitarist, producer, engineer and songwriter at Stax Records.
Born on a Missouri farm, Cropper and his family moved to Memphis when he was nine years old. He began playing guitar at age 14. His first successes were instrumentals he wrote for the Stax band he performed in, the Mar-Keys.
His work in the Mar-Keys, plus recording-session experience for other Memphis labels, led to him becoming the house session guitarist at Stax. Cropper was soon contributing to hits by Sam & Dave, Carla Thomas, Eddie Floyd, Johnnie Taylor, Rufus Thomas, Wilson Pickett and Otis Redding. He also co-wrote a series of hit instrumentals for the Stax instrumental quartet Booker T. & the MGs, for whom he served as guitarist, with an elegant, concise style.
His biggest songwriting hits include "Knock on Wood," "In the Midnight Hour," "Dock of the Bay," "See Saw" and "634-5789." These were all pop and soul hits but were also songs frequently covered by Nashville artists.
In the 1970s and '80s, Steve Cropper recorded and toured with Levon Helm and the Blues Brothers. He moved to Nashville in 1988 and eventually founded his own recording studio and record label.
Along with the other MGs, he was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1992. The group received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007. In 2008, Cropper teamed up with fellow Nashvillian Felix Cavaliere to record Nudge It Up a Notch. Nominated for a Grammy Award, the album consists of songs the two co-wrote.
His classic song "Dock of the Bay," co-written with Otis Redding, has been certified as having been broadcast more than six million times.
