{"id":53163,"date":"2025-12-04T13:53:01","date_gmt":"2025-12-04T13:53:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/2025\/12\/04\/12-essential-steve-cropper-songs\/"},"modified":"2025-12-04T13:53:01","modified_gmt":"2025-12-04T13:53:01","slug":"12-essential-steve-cropper-songs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/2025\/12\/04\/12-essential-steve-cropper-songs\/","title":{"rendered":"12 Essential Steve Cropper Songs"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"\">\n<p>Classic hits from the Memphis soul legend<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div>\n\t\t<!-- do not apply CSS styles to this element! --><\/p>\n<div class=\"pmc-not-a-paywall\">\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tSteve Cropper was never a household name the way Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton are, but he was the guitar hero\u2019s guitar hero. With an instantly identifiable tone, his guitar could sing (the \u201cPlay it, Steve!\u201d intro and breakdowns of Sam and Dave\u2019s \u201cSoul Man\u201d), groove (Booker T. and the MGs\u2019 \u201cGreen Onions\u201d), and build intricate, soulful architecture around the right voice (Otis Redding\u2019s \u201cI\u2019ve Been Loving You Too Long\u201d). \u201cI don\u2019t care about being center stage,\u201d he once said. \u201cI\u2019m a band member, always been a band member.\u201d No matter what the right song was, he knew what to play. Here are Cropper\u2019s essential recordings. <\/p>\n<div id=\"pmc-gallery-vertical\">\n<div class=\"c-gallery-vertical-loader u-gallery-app-shell-loader\">\n<ul class=\"pmc-fallback-list-items lrv-a-unstyle-list lrv-u-margin-t-2\">\n<li class=\"pmc-fallback-list-item-wrap lrv-u-margin-b-2\">\n<article class=\"pmc-fallback-list-item\">\n<h2>Booker T &amp; the M.G.\u2019s, \u2018Green Onions\u2019 (1962)<\/h2>\n<figure>\n\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/steve-cropper-green-onions.jpg?w=300\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"UNITED KINGDOM - JANUARY 01:  MANCHESTER SQUARE  Photo of BOOKER T &amp; THE MGS and Donald Duck DUNN and Al JACKSON and Booker T JONES and Steve CROPPER, Posed group portrait L-R Donald 'Duck Dunn, Al Jackson Jr (front), Booker T Jones and Steve Cropper  (Photo by CA\/Redferns)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/steve-cropper-green-onions.jpg 1800w, https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/steve-cropper-green-onions.jpg?resize=300,200 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 85vw, 300px\"\/><figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: CA\/Redferns\/Getty Images\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\t<!-- do not apply CSS styles to this element! --><\/p>\n<div class=\"pmc-not-a-paywall\">\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tBooker T.\u2019s organ may take up a lot of space in this immortal instrumental, co-written by Cropper,\u00a0but the loping rhythm part and spiky leads are the track\u2019s backbone. The track, originally intended as a throwaway B-side, ended up as proof that Booker T and the MGs didn\u2019t need a singer to record a hit. \u2013 <em>B.H<\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"pmc-fallback-list-item-wrap lrv-u-margin-b-2\">\n<article class=\"pmc-fallback-list-item\">\n<h2>Wison Pickett, \u2018In the Midnight Hour\u2019 (1965)<\/h2>\n<figure>\n\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/themes\/vip\/pmc-rollingstone-2022\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"CIRCA 1965: Soul singer Wilson Pickett performs onstage in circa 1965. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives\/Getty Images)\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/steve-cropper-wilson-pickett-midnight-hour.jpg?w=300\" data-lazy-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/steve-cropper-wilson-pickett-midnight-hour.jpg 1800w, https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/steve-cropper-wilson-pickett-midnight-hour.jpg?resize=300,200 300w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 85vw, 300px\"\/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/steve-cropper-wilson-pickett-midnight-hour.jpg?w=300\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"CIRCA 1965: Soul singer Wilson Pickett performs onstage in circa 1965. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives\/Getty Images)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/steve-cropper-wilson-pickett-midnight-hour.jpg 1800w, https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/steve-cropper-wilson-pickett-midnight-hour.jpg?resize=300,200 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 85vw, 300px\"\/><figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Michael Ochs Archives\/Getty Images\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\t<!-- do not apply CSS styles to this element! --><\/p>\n<div class=\"pmc-not-a-paywall\">\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tThe famous intro to Pickett\u2019s signature song came from Cropper noodling around on his guitar before a session in Memphis. \u201cIt seemed like every time that he sang lead on something, when he got down to the fadeout, he would go, oh, \u2018wait till the midnight hour,\u2019\u201d Cropper told <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2024\/05\/24\/1252918701\/a-look-back-at-stax-records-with-steve-cropper-booker-t-and-isaac-hayes\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\"><em>NPR<\/em><\/a>. \u201cI just took that right there and presented it to him with a little idea.\u201d<em>\u2013J.B.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"pmc-fallback-list-item-wrap lrv-u-margin-b-2\">\n<article class=\"pmc-fallback-list-item\">\n<h2>Eddie Floyd, \u2018Knock on Wood\u2019 (1966)<\/h2>\n<figure>\n\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/themes\/vip\/pmc-rollingstone-2022\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"From left to right, guitarist Steve Cropper, singer Eddie Floyd and drummer Al Jackson Jr at Stax Records in Memphis, Tennessee, 8th August 1968. Cropper and Jackson are members of the R&amp;B group Booker T and the MG's. (Photo by Don Paulsen\/Michael Ochs Archives\/Getty Images)\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/steve-cropper-knock-on-wood.jpg?w=300\" data-lazy-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/steve-cropper-knock-on-wood.jpg 1800w, https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/steve-cropper-knock-on-wood.jpg?resize=300,200 300w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 85vw, 300px\"\/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/steve-cropper-knock-on-wood.jpg?w=300\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"From left to right, guitarist Steve Cropper, singer Eddie Floyd and drummer Al Jackson Jr at Stax Records in Memphis, Tennessee, 8th August 1968. Cropper and Jackson are members of the R&amp;B group Booker T and the MG's. (Photo by Don Paulsen\/Michael Ochs Archives\/Getty Images)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/steve-cropper-knock-on-wood.jpg 1800w, https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/steve-cropper-knock-on-wood.jpg?resize=300,200 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 85vw, 300px\"\/><figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Don Paulsen\/Michael Ochs Archives\/Getty Images\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\t<!-- do not apply CSS styles to this element! --><\/p>\n<div class=\"pmc-not-a-paywall\">\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tCropper both played on and co-write this worried-about-love strut with Alabama soul singer Floyd. Cropper\u2019s tight, economical playing again provides the bedrock. \u201cKnock on Wood\u201d also displays the muscular brawn of Cropper\u2019s playing; he bares down on the chords of the song as if he\u2019s chopping wood. <em>-D.B.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"pmc-fallback-list-item-wrap lrv-u-margin-b-2\">\n<article class=\"pmc-fallback-list-item\">\n<h2>Wilson Pickett, \u201d634-5789\u2032 (1966)<\/h2>\n<figure>\n\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/themes\/vip\/pmc-rollingstone-2022\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"American soul singer Wilson Pickett  (1941 - 2006), circa 1965. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives\/Getty Images)\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/steve-cropper-634-5789.jpg?w=300\" data-lazy-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/steve-cropper-634-5789.jpg 1800w, https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/steve-cropper-634-5789.jpg?resize=300,200 300w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 85vw, 300px\"\/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/steve-cropper-634-5789.jpg?w=300\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"American soul singer Wilson Pickett  (1941 - 2006), circa 1965. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives\/Getty Images)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/steve-cropper-634-5789.jpg 1800w, https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/steve-cropper-634-5789.jpg?resize=300,200 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 85vw, 300px\"\/><figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Michael Ochs Archives\/Getty Images\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\t<!-- do not apply CSS styles to this element! --><\/p>\n<div class=\"pmc-not-a-paywall\">\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tIn addition to playing guitar, Cropper co-wrote this iconic Pickett hit, which soon become an unofficial Stax anthem, at the Lorraine Motel with Eddie Floyd. The song was inspired by the Marvelettes\u2019 \u201cBeechwood 4-5789,\u201d a recent hit. \u201cHow would it if we was to write a song that were all numbers?\u201d Floyd remembered asking Cropper.\u00a0The result would end up becoming a signature anthem of Memphis soul. \u2014<em>J.B.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"pmc-fallback-list-item-wrap lrv-u-margin-b-2\">\n<article class=\"pmc-fallback-list-item\">\n<h2>Sam &amp; Dave, \u2018Soul Man\u2019 (1967)<\/h2>\n<figure>\n\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/themes\/vip\/pmc-rollingstone-2022\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"American soul and R&amp;B duo Sam &amp; Dave perform on the Stax Records 'Gettin' It All Together' television special in New York City, 20th March 1969. Stax are celebrating the release of 27 LPs and 30 singles.  (Photo by Don Paulsen\/Michael Ochs Archives\/Getty Images)\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/steve-cropper-soul-man.jpg?w=300\" data-lazy-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/steve-cropper-soul-man.jpg 1800w, https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/steve-cropper-soul-man.jpg?resize=300,200 300w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 85vw, 300px\"\/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/steve-cropper-soul-man.jpg?w=300\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"American soul and R&amp;B duo Sam &amp; Dave perform on the Stax Records 'Gettin' It All Together' television special in New York City, 20th March 1969. Stax are celebrating the release of 27 LPs and 30 singles.  (Photo by Don Paulsen\/Michael Ochs Archives\/Getty Images)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/steve-cropper-soul-man.jpg 1800w, https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/steve-cropper-soul-man.jpg?resize=300,200 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 85vw, 300px\"\/><figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Don Paulsen\/Michael Ochs Archives\/Getty Images\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\t<!-- do not apply CSS styles to this element! --><\/p>\n<div class=\"pmc-not-a-paywall\">\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\t\u201cPlay it, Steve!\u201d From its ringing opening riff to the tight rhythm figure that glides under the verses to the lead counterpoint to the choruses, Cropper\u2019s playing on \u201cSoul Man\u201d is an absolute masterclass in the art of R&amp;B guitar.\u2013B.H.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"pmc-fallback-list-item-wrap lrv-u-margin-b-2\">\n<article class=\"pmc-fallback-list-item\">\n<h2>Otis Redding, \u2018(Sittin\u2019 on) the Dock of the Bay\u2019 (1968)<\/h2>\n<figure>\n\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/themes\/vip\/pmc-rollingstone-2022\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"NEW YORK - JANUARY 21: Soul singer Otis Redding performs onstage with his guitar player Steve Cropper of &quot;The Bar-Kays&quot; at Hunter College on January 21, 1967 in New York City, New York. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives\/Getty Images)\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/steve-cropper-sitting-on-the-dock-of-the-bay.jpg?w=300\" data-lazy-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/steve-cropper-sitting-on-the-dock-of-the-bay.jpg 1800w, https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/steve-cropper-sitting-on-the-dock-of-the-bay.jpg?resize=300,200 300w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 85vw, 300px\"\/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/steve-cropper-sitting-on-the-dock-of-the-bay.jpg?w=300\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"NEW YORK - JANUARY 21: Soul singer Otis Redding performs onstage with his guitar player Steve Cropper of &quot;The Bar-Kays&quot; at Hunter College on January 21, 1967 in New York City, New York. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives\/Getty Images)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/steve-cropper-sitting-on-the-dock-of-the-bay.jpg 1800w, https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/steve-cropper-sitting-on-the-dock-of-the-bay.jpg?resize=300,200 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 85vw, 300px\"\/><figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Michael Ochs Archives\/Getty Images\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\t<!-- do not apply CSS styles to this element! --><\/p>\n<div class=\"pmc-not-a-paywall\">\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tRight before his death, Redding was primed to musically branch out, and Cropper would again prove to be the perfect collaborator on Redding\u2019s final work before the plane crash that took his life. The two not only co-wrote Redding\u2019s folk-soul standard but Cropper also played the subtle, comforting lead behind Redding\u2019s strums. As he discussed in a recent Stax doc, Cropper was also given the daunting task of finishing and prepping the song for release days after Redding\u2019s death.\u2013<em>-D.B.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"pmc-fallback-list-item-wrap lrv-u-margin-b-2\">\n<article class=\"pmc-fallback-list-item\">\n<h2>Booker T &amp; the M.G.\u2019s, \u2018Time Is Tight\u2019 (1968)<\/h2>\n<figure>\n\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/themes\/vip\/pmc-rollingstone-2022\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"American musician and songwriter Booker T Jones and American guitarist and songwriter Steve Cropper, both seated with Cropper playing a Gibson ES-355 (or possibly Gibson ES-335) guitar, of Booker T &amp; the MG's, possibly in a recording studio, location unspecified, June 1969. (Photo by Don Paulsen\/Michael Ochs Archives\/Getty Images)\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/steve-cropper-booker-t-time-is-tight.jpg?w=300\" data-lazy-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/steve-cropper-booker-t-time-is-tight.jpg 1800w, https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/steve-cropper-booker-t-time-is-tight.jpg?resize=300,200 300w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 85vw, 300px\"\/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/steve-cropper-booker-t-time-is-tight.jpg?w=300\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"American musician and songwriter Booker T Jones and American guitarist and songwriter Steve Cropper, both seated with Cropper playing a Gibson ES-355 (or possibly Gibson ES-335) guitar, of Booker T &amp; the MG's, possibly in a recording studio, location unspecified, June 1969. (Photo by Don Paulsen\/Michael Ochs Archives\/Getty Images)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/steve-cropper-booker-t-time-is-tight.jpg 1800w, https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/steve-cropper-booker-t-time-is-tight.jpg?resize=300,200 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 85vw, 300px\"\/><figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Don Paulsen\/Michael Ochs Archives\/Getty Images\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\t<!-- do not apply CSS styles to this element! --><\/p>\n<div class=\"pmc-not-a-paywall\">\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tOn one of the MGs\u2019 later singles, Cropper\u2019s tightly wound playing opens one of the MG\u2019s\u2019 biggest hits, and even when he switches to chords, Cropper never lets up. The extended version of the song also lets Cropper stretch out on a prickly, sprightly solo, which he wasn\u2019t always afforded, and which also showcased the dynamics between Cropper\u2019s guitar and Jones\u2019 organ.<em>\u2013D.B.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"pmc-fallback-list-item-wrap lrv-u-margin-b-2\">\n<article class=\"pmc-fallback-list-item\">\n<h2>\u00a0Johnnie Taylor, \u2018Who\u2019s Making Love\u2019 (1968)<\/h2>\n<figure>\n\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/themes\/vip\/pmc-rollingstone-2022\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"American singer and songwriter Johnnie Taylor (1934 - 2000) performing at the Apollo Theater in New York City, circa 1968. (Photo by Don Paulsen\/Michael Ochs Archives\/Getty Images)\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/steve-cropper-johnnie-taylor-whos-making-love.jpg?w=300\" data-lazy-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/steve-cropper-johnnie-taylor-whos-making-love.jpg 1800w, https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/steve-cropper-johnnie-taylor-whos-making-love.jpg?resize=300,200 300w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 85vw, 300px\"\/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/steve-cropper-johnnie-taylor-whos-making-love.jpg?w=300\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"American singer and songwriter Johnnie Taylor (1934 - 2000) performing at the Apollo Theater in New York City, circa 1968. (Photo by Don Paulsen\/Michael Ochs Archives\/Getty Images)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/steve-cropper-johnnie-taylor-whos-making-love.jpg 1800w, https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/steve-cropper-johnnie-taylor-whos-making-love.jpg?resize=300,200 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 85vw, 300px\"\/><figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Don Paulsen\/Michael Ochs Archives\/Getty Images\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\t<!-- do not apply CSS styles to this element! --><\/p>\n<div class=\"pmc-not-a-paywall\">\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tBooker T and the MGs backed Taylor on the 1968 single that Taylor a star, and Cropper\u2019s bedrock playing and high-pitched leads in the choruses show how much he brought to every major act on the Stax roster. Cropper would later revive the song during his stint with the Blues Brothers.<em>\u2013D.B.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"pmc-fallback-list-item-wrap lrv-u-margin-b-2\">\n<article class=\"pmc-fallback-list-item\">\n<h2>William Bell, \u2018I Forgot to Be Your Lover\u2019 (1968)<\/h2>\n<figure>\n\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/themes\/vip\/pmc-rollingstone-2022\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"American soul singer William Bell at Stax Records in Memphis, Tennessee, 8th August 1968. (Photo by Don Paulsen\/Michael Ochs Archives\/Getty Images)\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/steve-cropper-william-bell-i-forgot-to-be-your-lover.jpg?w=300\" data-lazy-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/steve-cropper-william-bell-i-forgot-to-be-your-lover.jpg 1800w, https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/steve-cropper-william-bell-i-forgot-to-be-your-lover.jpg?resize=300,200 300w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 85vw, 300px\"\/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/steve-cropper-william-bell-i-forgot-to-be-your-lover.jpg?w=300\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"American soul singer William Bell at Stax Records in Memphis, Tennessee, 8th August 1968. (Photo by Don Paulsen\/Michael Ochs Archives\/Getty Images)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/steve-cropper-william-bell-i-forgot-to-be-your-lover.jpg 1800w, https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/steve-cropper-william-bell-i-forgot-to-be-your-lover.jpg?resize=300,200 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 85vw, 300px\"\/><figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Don Paulsen\/Michael Ochs Archives\/Getty Images\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\t<!-- do not apply CSS styles to this element! --><\/p>\n<div class=\"pmc-not-a-paywall\">\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tThis moving apology, written by Bell and Booker T. Jones, is a slow building tribute to a woman Bell clearly doesn\u2019t deserve. Cropper\u2019s understated playing highlights the tentativeness of Bell\u2019s vocal, never taking center stage, but playing more wingman to Bell as he begs his way back into his liver\u2019s good graces.<em>\u2013K.G.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"pmc-fallback-list-item-wrap lrv-u-margin-b-2\">\n<article class=\"pmc-fallback-list-item\">\n<h2>Rod Stewart, \u2018Tonight\u2019s the Night (Gonna Be Alright)\u2019 (1976)<\/h2>\n<figure>\n\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/themes\/vip\/pmc-rollingstone-2022\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"Rod Stewart performing on stage in Helsinki, Finland, during his European Tour 1976, 9th November 1976. (Photo by Staff\/Mirrorpix\/Getty Images)\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/steve-cropper-rod-stewart-tonights-the-night.jpg?w=300\" data-lazy-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/steve-cropper-rod-stewart-tonights-the-night.jpg 1800w, https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/steve-cropper-rod-stewart-tonights-the-night.jpg?resize=300,200 300w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 85vw, 300px\"\/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/steve-cropper-rod-stewart-tonights-the-night.jpg?w=300\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"Rod Stewart performing on stage in Helsinki, Finland, during his European Tour 1976, 9th November 1976. (Photo by Staff\/Mirrorpix\/Getty Images)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/steve-cropper-rod-stewart-tonights-the-night.jpg 1800w, https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/steve-cropper-rod-stewart-tonights-the-night.jpg?resize=300,200 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 85vw, 300px\"\/><figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Mirrorpix\/Getty Images\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\t<!-- do not apply CSS styles to this element! --><\/p>\n<div class=\"pmc-not-a-paywall\">\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tRecorded by a Londoner in Muscle Shoals, \u201cTonight\u2019s the Night\u201d benefits greatly from Memphis man Steve Cropper\u2019s swelling guitar textures (alongside Joe Walsh among others), giving cred to Rod\u2019s seductive spiel. It was so seductive, in fact, it became Rod\u2019s second Number One hit in the U.S.<em>\u2013K.G.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"pmc-fallback-list-item-wrap lrv-u-margin-b-2\">\n<article class=\"pmc-fallback-list-item\">\n<h2>Big Star, \u2018Femme Fatale\u2019 (1978)<\/h2>\n<figure>\n\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/themes\/vip\/pmc-rollingstone-2022\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"UNSPECIFIED - JANUARY 01:  Photo of Alex CHILTON and BIG STAR; Chris Bell, Jody Stephens, Andy Hummel and Alex Chilton posed  (Photo by Charlie Gillett\/Redferns)\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/steve-cropper-big-star-femme-fatale.jpg?w=300\" data-lazy-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/steve-cropper-big-star-femme-fatale.jpg 1800w, https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/steve-cropper-big-star-femme-fatale.jpg?resize=300,200 300w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 85vw, 300px\"\/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/steve-cropper-big-star-femme-fatale.jpg?w=300\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"UNSPECIFIED - JANUARY 01:  Photo of Alex CHILTON and BIG STAR; Chris Bell, Jody Stephens, Andy Hummel and Alex Chilton posed  (Photo by Charlie Gillett\/Redferns)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/steve-cropper-big-star-femme-fatale.jpg 1800w, https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/steve-cropper-big-star-femme-fatale.jpg?resize=300,200 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 85vw, 300px\"\/><figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Charlie Gillett\/Redferns\/Getty Images\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\t<!-- do not apply CSS styles to this element! --><\/p>\n<div class=\"pmc-not-a-paywall\">\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tBig Star\u2019s brooding cover of the Velvet Underground classic appears on their landmark album<em> Third<\/em>. The Memphis band asked local legend Cropper to play on the song and he delivered a stunning performance. Where Lou Reed played ahead of the beat on the original, Big Star lag back, allowing Cropper to find exquisite bluesy pentatonic textures in and around Reed\u2019s sexual pathos.<em>\u2013K.G.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"pmc-fallback-list-item-wrap lrv-u-margin-b-2\">\n<article class=\"pmc-fallback-list-item\">\n<h2>Etta James, \u2018Damn Your Eyes\u2019 (1988)<\/h2>\n<figure>\n\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/themes\/vip\/pmc-rollingstone-2022\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"Etta James at the Petrillo Bandshell in Chicago, Illinois, June 11, 1988. (Photo by Paul Natkin\/Getty Images)\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/steve-cropper-etta-james-damn-your-eyes.jpg?w=300\" data-lazy-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/steve-cropper-etta-james-damn-your-eyes.jpg 1800w, https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/steve-cropper-etta-james-damn-your-eyes.jpg?resize=300,200 300w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 85vw, 300px\"\/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/steve-cropper-etta-james-damn-your-eyes.jpg?w=300\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"Etta James at the Petrillo Bandshell in Chicago, Illinois, June 11, 1988. (Photo by Paul Natkin\/Getty Images)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/steve-cropper-etta-james-damn-your-eyes.jpg 1800w, https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/steve-cropper-etta-james-damn-your-eyes.jpg?resize=300,200 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 85vw, 300px\"\/><figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Paul Natkin\/Getty Images\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\t<!-- do not apply CSS styles to this element! --><\/p>\n<div class=\"pmc-not-a-paywall\">\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tNobody could command a minor key like Etta James, and with Steve Cropper\u2019s moody playing on James\u2019 rendition of \u201cDamn Your Eyes,\u201d she was in her element. The song is a powerhouse with each instrument playing off James\u2019 soulful growl \u2014 the horns, the piano, and especially Cropper\u2019s bluesy guitar \u2014 making the song a searing classic<em>.\u2013K.G.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/music\/music-lists\/best-steve-cropper-songs-1235477258\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Classic hits from the Memphis soul legend Steve Cropper was never a household name the way Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton are, but he&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":53164,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-53163","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pop","article","has-excerpt","has-avatar","has-author","has-date","has-comment-count","has-category-meta","has-read-more","thumbnail-"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53163","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=53163"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53163\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/53164"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=53163"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=53163"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=53163"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}