Get all your news in one place.

100's of premium titles.
One app.

Start reading

Get all your news in one place.

100's of premium titles. One news app.

Start reading

DARK SECRETS: Stax records | Vintage Vibes

Steve Cropper, Booker T and the MG’s guitarist, dies aged 84

Steve Cropper, considered one of the greatest guitarist of all time, has passed away.

BANG Premier

“My playing has always sucked, but it sells because I keep it simple”: Steve Cropper was one of guitar’s most modest yet influential figures. In one of his final interviews, he looked back at making Booker T & the MG’s classics and working with Jeff Beck

The co-writer of classics including Green Onions and (Sittin’ On) the Dock of the Bay proved you don’t need technical wizardry to make a mark. In 2024, he walked us through a career marked by hits, groove and soul

Guitar World

“My mom said, ‘I’ll lend you a quarter if you become a guitar player.’ I think I did!”: Legendary guitarist Steve Cropper dies aged 84

A key figure in shaping the sound of soul music in the ’60s

MusicRadar

From analysis to the latest developments in health,
read the most diverse news in one place.

“He helped create some of the most enduring songs in music history”: Steve Cropper, Stax and soul guitar legend, Booker T. & the MG’s co-founder, dies at 84

As guitarist and co-writer of seminal hits like (Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay and Green Onions, Cropper left an indelible mark on the music of the 1960s

Guitar World

Steve Cropper, legendary guitarist for Booker T & the MGs, dies aged 84

Prolific musician was known for work on songs like Green Onions and Otis Redding’s (Sittin’ on) The Dock of the Bay

The Guardian - US

Songwriting legend and guitarist Steve Cropper dies aged 84

Steve Cropper co-wrote classic songs such as ‘(Sittin' on) the Dock of the Bay’ and ‘In the Midnight Hour’

The Independent UK

‘It’s dark in the US right now. But I turn on a light, you know?’: Mavis Staples on Prince, Martin Luther King and her 75-year singing career

As she releases a new album, the soul and gospel legend answers your questions on Stax Records, duetting with David Byrne, and the fight for civil rights

The Guardian - UK

Read news from The Economist, FT, and more,
with one subscription

“It made me feel bad that I didn’t put it on the album”: From Pavement to Donna Summer, here are six more B-sides that became huge hits against the odds

Adding to the collection of songs that started out on the flip side of a single, but went on to become playlist staples

MusicRadar

Stax Music Academy Celebrates Black History Month With Concerts

Discover Stax Music Academy in Memphis, where young musicians celebrate the soulful legacy of Stax Records through rigorous training and performances.

Top News

“My playing has always sucked, but it sells, because I keep it simple, I guess. I’m not a guitar player, I never took the time”: Soul icon Steve Cropper on writing Green Onions, stressing out Brian May – and the secret of Billy Gibbons’ guitar style

Cropper says he isn't it a great guitar player but if you co-wrote Green Onions and (Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay, you don't need technical wizardry. He walks us through a career marked by hits, grooves and soul

Guitar World

‘It became a beacon of hope’: the incredible story of Stax Records

A new docuseries traces the highs and lows of the Memphis record label, soaring with major acts like Otis Redding and Isaac Hayes but a victim of both capitalism and racism

The Guardian - US

“Paul McCartney was one of my favorite bass players. I didn’t do him justice”: Paying tribute to the Beatles turned out to be a humbling experience for Donald ‘Duck’ Dunn

As a member of Booker T. and the MGs, Donald ‘Duck’ Dunn cut an instrumental version of the Beatles’ Abbey Road. But the experience wasn't all that satisfying...

Guitar World

Get all your
news in one place.

100's of premium titles.
One news app.

The Guardian - US

‘It was an out of body experience’: looking back at the Wattstax music festival

In 1972, the largely Black community of Watts came together for a giant music event from Stax Records, captured in a thrilling, re-released documentary

The Guardian - UK

Jim Stewart obituary

American producer and executive who co-founded Stax Records in the late 1950s

WEKU

Jim Stewart, co-founder of Stax Records in Memphis, dies at age 92

The white Tennessee farm boy and fiddle player co-founded the influential record label with his sister in a Black, inner-city Memphis neighborhood and helped build the soulful "Memphis sound."

The Independent UK

Jim Stewart, co-founder of Stax Records in Memphis, dies

Jim Stewart, the white Tennessee farm boy and fiddle player who co-founded the influential Stax Records with his sister in a Black, inner-city Memphis neighborhood and helped build the soulful “Memphis sound,” has died at age 92

Get all your
news in one place.

100's of premium titles.
One news app.

The Guardian - UK

Jim Stewart, founder of Stax Records, dies aged 92

Record producer signed many of soul and R&B’s most influential musicians, including Otis Redding and Isaac Hayes

The Independent UK

Booker T. Jones performs at Stax, ahead of milestone

A performance by master keyboardist Booker T

The Independent UK

Mable John death: First female solo artist on Motown Records dies at 91

Singer went on the road with Ray Charles, and shared bills with Billie Holiday

People

From analysis to the latest developments in health,
read the most diverse news in one place.

Organisations

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Read news from The Economist, FT, and more,
with one subscription

Topics

Places

Fourteen days free

Download the app

One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.