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Booker T. Jones gradually eased his way away from Stax
at the turn of the decade. When Cropper, Dunn and Jackson did not follow suit, the MG's ceased
to be an active unit. Cropper himself left the label in the fall of 1970 to start up, with Jerry Williams
and former Mar- Key Ronnie Stoots, the Trans-Maximus (TMI) recording studio and record
company. In the first half of the 1970s, Cropper produced and played on sessions recorded
at TMI or Ardent by the likes of Poco, Jeff Beck, Jose Feliciano,
Yvonne Elliman, John Prine, Dreams and Tower Of
Power. Later production successes included Tower of Power's
1978 LP We Came To Play and John Cougar's 1980 release Nothing Matters And What If It
Did. |
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In
1977, with Stax alumni Willie Hall filling in for the late Al Jackson, the MG's
briefly reunited to record the
Universal Language LP
for Asylum. Shortly thereafter Cropper and Dunn joined Levon Helm's RCO All-Stars and then received a call from
John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd which resulted in the formation of the Blues Brothers Band.
The original incarnation of the Blues Brothers recorded three albums, including the
number one Briefcase Full of Blues, and made a hilarious eponymously-titled
feature film.
When the Blues Brothers ceased active duty after the passing of Belushi
in the spring of 1982, Cropper continued to be in constant demand as both a producer and session
guitarist. He also found time to resume his solo career, recording two albums for MCA in
1980 ( Playin' My Thang) and 1982 ( Night After Night). His first solo
album, With a Little Help From My Friends, had been recorded for Stax back in
1969. |
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In 1997, Steve Cropper and Booker T. and the MG's career was
enshrined in print in Rob Bowman's, Soulsville U.S.A. : The Story of Stax Records (Schirmer
Books). In spring 1998 Fantasy Records issued a three-CD
Booker T. and The MG's box set.
During the
whole period of the MG's glorious renaissance, Cropper has also
been busy fulfilling his commitments to The Blues Brothers Band, who
have issued two recent CD's: Live In Montreaux, on WEA
International in 1990, and Live From Chicago's House Of Blues,
on the House Of Blues label in 1997.
With John Goodman taking the place
of the late John Belushi, The Blues Brothers' second feature film,
Blues Brothers 2000, was released in February 1998. |
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Booker T. &
The MG's Boxed Set |
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"Blues
Brothers 2000" Poster |
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Cropper
also continues to be an in-demand musician and producer.
His string-bending talents being most recently showcased on the
latest Paul Simon, Ringo Starr, Buddy Guy (Heavy
Love) and Johnny Lang (Wander This World)
albums. He also contributed his talents to efforts from Elton
John and Steppenwolf.
In the producer's chair, he has most
recently piloted Joe Louis Walker's last three albums: 1995's
The Blues Of The Month Club, 1997's Great Guitars and Preacher
And The President (Verve).
Finally, Croppers multiple
talents are routinely called upon for movie soundtracks, such as
John Carpenter's 1998 blockbuster Vampires. His signature
Cropper Classic, for Peavey, is one of the most highly respected and
coveted guitars made anywhere. |
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Peavey's
"Cropper Classic" |
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In
addition to his commitments to the MG's and The Blues Brothers,
Steve Cropper has started
his own label (Play It, Steve! Records), whose inaugural release,
entitled Play It, Steve!, was released in February 1998.
Steve also owns a state-of-the-art
recording studio in Nashville called Insomnia Studio.
Click
HERE for more information.
Perhaps the
ultimate testament to Steve Cropper's immense contribution to
popular music over
the last four decades was his ranking by England's Mojo Magazine
in 1996 as the number two guitarist of all-time (Jimi Hendrix
was number one). And in 2003, Rolling Stone magazine readers voted
him among the Top 100 Guitar Players of all-time.
As impressive as that is, Steve Cropper's legacy
as a solo artist, member of Booker T. and the MG's and the Blues
Brothers, session musician and producer is far from complete.
Here's looking forward to the next few decades.
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