Steven Lee "Steve" Cropper (born October 21, 1941,
Dora, Missouri, United States) is an American guitarist,
songwriter, and
record producer. He is best known as the guitarist of the
Stax Records house band,
Booker T. & the M.G.'s, which backed artists such as
Otis Redding,
Sam & Dave,
Carla Thomas,
Rufus Thomas and
Johnnie Taylor. He also acted as the producer of many of these records. He was later a member of
the Blues Brothers band.
Rolling Stone magazine ranked him 39th on its list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time.
Mojo ranks Cropper as the second-best guitarist ever. His nickname is "The Colonel."