Stax Guitarist Steve Cropper Dies at 84

Steve Cropper, the influential guitarist, songwriter and producer whose crisp riffs and rhythmic precision shaped Memphis soul music at Stax Records, has died. He was 84.

Cropper's son confirmed the death to Variety on Wednesday. Family members informed officials at the Soulsville Foundation, which operates the Stax Museum of American Soul Music in Memphis, that Cropper died that day in Nashville. A longtime associate said Cropper had been at a rehabilitation facility there following a recent fall, though no official cause was disclosed.

Born on October 21, 1941, near Dora, Missouri, Cropper moved to Memphis with his family at age 9. He received his first guitar at 14 and drew early inspiration from artists including Chuck Berry, Jimmy Reed, Chet Atkins, Lowman Pauling of the 5 Royales and Wayne Bennett. By his late teens, he was playing in local bands and doing session work for labels like Sun Records.

Cropper joined Stax Records, originally founded as Satellite Records in 1957 by Jim Stewart and Estelle Axton, in 1961. He started at the label's storefront studio after collaborating with saxophonist Charles "Packy" Axton, Estelle's son. Soon after, an impromptu jam session with...