Steve Cropper, who was the lead guitarist for John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd’s band, the Blues Brothers, has died. He was 84. His son, Cameron, confirmed his death to Variety on Wednesday. The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer had played with soul legends including Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett, and several others. He was a founding member of Booker T. & the MGs and worked as an instrumentalist, producer, and songwriter at Stax Records. Cropper was born on Oct. 21, 1941, in Dora, Missouri, but moved to Memphis when he was nine and went on to shape the sound of the city’s soul music. He shot to fame in the early ’60s with Booker T. & the MGs, producing hits such as “Green Onions” and “Time Is Tight.” A younger generation knew Cropper from his work on the Blues Brothers’ 1979 album, “Briefcase Full of Blues,” which went double-platinum. He also worked on four of the act’s other albums and appeared in their eponymous 1980 film and its 1998 sequel, Blues Brothers 2000. Cropper is survived by his second wife, Angel, their two children, and two children from his first marriage.
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