Born on October 21, 1941, in Dora, Missouri, Steve Cropper moved to Memphis with his family at the age of nine. Sox years later, he began playing the guitar. In Memphis, black church music was a major influence, and eventually, he began working as a musician.
Cropper was perhaps not the most flashy guitar player, but used cathy licks and rhythm chops which came to define the soul music of Memphis. In an era when racism was still a major issue, Cropper was one of the rare white artists who didn’t mind keeping a low profile while collaborating with many black soul musicians.
Cropper played guitar on many legendary songs, among them the 1967 Sam & Dave superhit “Soul Man.” In fact, singer Sam Moore even called out, “Play it, Steve,” as the guitarist blasted out a riff.
Steve Cropper. Credit: Getty Images
It was reenacted in the late 1970s when he joined the John Belushi-Dan Aykroyd act The Blues Brothers, playing a Soul Man cover.
“I listen to the other musicians and the singer,” Cropper told the associated prees in 2020. “I’m not listening to just me. I make sure I’m sounding OK before we start the session. Once we’ve presented the song, then I listen to the song and the way they interpret it. And I play around all that stuff. That’s what I do. That’s my style.”
