On December 3, 2025, Steven Lee Cropper died aged 84. He was musician, songwriter, record producer and actor, known as “The Colonel”. He was the guitarist of the “Stax Records” house band, Booker T. & the M.G.’s, which backed artists such as Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett, Sam & Dave, Carla Thomas, Rufus Thomas, and Johnnie Taylor. He was also member of the Blues Brothers Band, and recorded and performed with many other artists including Alabama, Jimmy Barnes, William Bell, Barbi Benton, Big Star, Stephen Bishop, Frank Black, Bobby and the Midnites, Booker T. & MG.’s, Ronnie Baker Brooks, Jimmy Buffett, Billy Burnette, Brian Cadd, Cate Brothers, Chicago, David Clayton Thomas, A. J. Croce, Patti Dahlstrom, Delaney & Bonnie, Ned Doheny, Yvonne Elliman, Jose Feliziano, Eddie Floyd, Peter Frampton, Richie Furay, Art Garfunkel, Cyndi Grecco, Levon Helm, Chris Hillman, Rebecca Lynn Howard, Etta James, Wynonna Judd, Albert King, B.B. King, Al Kooper, John Lennon, Ann Margret, Marilyn McCoo, Billy Davis Jr., Craig Morgan, Aaron Neville, Wayne Newton, Harry Nilsson, John Oates, Nigel Olsson, Roy Orbison, Dolly Parton, Wilson Pickett, Michel Polnareff, John Prine, Otis Redding, Bruce Roberts, Leon Russell, Sanford & Townsend, Leo Sayer, Poncho Sanchez, Guy Sebastian, Neil Sedaka, Paul Shaffer, Paul Simon, Percy Sledge, Broderick Smith, The Soul Children, The Staple Singers, Mavis Staple, Ringo Starr, Rod Stewart, Livingston Taylor, Carla Thomas, Mickey Thomas, Wendy Waldman, Tower of Power, The Manhattan Transfer, Dale Watson and Jerry Lynn Williams. Magazine “Rolling Stone” ranked him 36th on its list of the “100 Greatest Guitarists”. Cropper won two “Grammy Awards”, and as leader or co-leader Cropper released 13 albums.
Tag Archives: Stax Records
Bobby Whitlock
On August 10, 2025, Robert Stanley “Bobby” Whitlock died aged 77. He was musician (keyboards, guitar), vocalist and songwriter, best known as member of Derek and the Dominos (co-founder with Eric Clapton). Whitlock was known as the first white musician signed to Stax Records. He recorded and performed with many artists, including George Harrison, Delaney & Bonnie, Eric Clapton, Doris Troy, John Simon, Manassas and Dr. John. As leader he released 14 albums.
Wayne Jackson
On June 21, 2016, Wayne Lamar Jackson died aged 74. He was musician (trumpet, trombone, French horn). song writer and producer, playing trumpet in the “Stax Records” house band The Mar – Keys, but best known as co-founder, together with Andrew Love, and member of The Memphis Horns, regarded as “arguably the greatest soul horn section ever”. Jackson and Love played together on 52 No. 1 songs, and recorded and toured with many famous names, including Elvis Presley, Otis Reding, Neil Diamond, Aretha Franklin, The Doobie Brothers, Al Green, Dusty Springfield, Jimmy Buffet, Robert Cray, Sam & Dave and many others. In 2012, the Memphis Horns received a “Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award” for outstanding artistic significance in music.
Andrew Love
On April 12, 2012, Andrew Love died aged 70. He was musician (saxophone), best known for being a member of The Memphis Horns. He was session musician at “Stax Records”, and together with trumpet player Wayne Jackson, he created the signature of Stax horn sound. Love has recorded and toured with many famous artists such as Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, Neil Diamond, Elvis Presley, Dusty Springfield, The Doobie Brothers, Jimmy Buffett and Robert Cray.
Donald Duck Dunn
On May 13, 2012, Donald “Duck” Dunn died aged 70. He was musician (bass guitar), session musician, record producer, and songwriter, best known for his 1960’s recordings with Booker T. & the M.G.’s and as a session bassist for “Stax Records”. He has performed and recorded with big number of famous musicians including Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, Rufus Thomas, Carla Thomas, William Bell, Eddie Floyd, Johnnie Taylor, Albert King, Elvis Presley, Muddy Waters, Freddie King, Jerry Lee Lewis, Eric Clapton, Rod Stewart, Stevie Nicks, Tom Petty and The Blues Brothers Band. In 1992, Dunn was inducted in the “Rock and Roll Hall of Fame” as a member of Booker T. & the M.G.’s. “Bass Player” magazine ranked him at number 40 on its list of “The 100 Greatest Bass Players of All Time”.
Elvis Presley: Promised Land
On January 8, 1975, “RCA” label released “Promised Land”, the twenty first Elvis Presley album. It was recorded in December 1973, at “Stax Records” studios in Memphis and was produced by Felton Jarvis.
Personnel:
- Elvis Presley- vocals, guitar
- James Burton- guitar
- Johnny Christopher – guitar
- Doug Bartenfeld – guitar
- Per Erik Hallin – piano, organ
- David Briggs- piano, organ
- Norbert Putnam- bass
- Ronnie Tutt- drums
- Per Eric “Pete” Hallin – clavinet
- Voice (Donnie Sumner; Sherrill Nielsen; Tim Baty; Per Eric “Pete” Hallin) – backing vocals
- Jeannie Green – backing vocals
- Mary and Ginger Holladay – backing vocals
- Susan Pilkington – backing vocals
- JD Sumner& The Stamps (Bill Baize; Ed Enoch; David Rowland) – backing vocals
- Kathy Westmoreland- backing vocals
- Mike Moran, Dick Baxter – engineer
Track listing:
- Promised Land – Chuck Berry
- There’s a Honky Tonk Angel (Who’ll Take Me Back In) – Troy Seals, Denny Rice
- Help me – Larry Gatlin
- Songman – Donnie Sumner
- Love Song of the Year – Chris Christian
- It’s Midnight – Billy Edd Wheeler,Jerry Chesnut
- Your Love’s Been a Long Time Coming – Rory Bourke
- If You Talk in Your Sleep – Red West, Johnny Christopher
- Thinking About You – Tim Baty
- You Asked Me To – Waylon Jennings, Billy Joe Shaver
Otis Redding: Otis Blue/Otis Redding Sings Soul
On September 15, 1965, “Stax Records” released “Otis Blue/Otis Redding Sings Soul”, the third Otis Redding studio album . It was recorded from April – July 1965, at the “Stax Recording Studios” in Memphis, Tennessee and was produced by Jim Stewart, Isaac Hayes and David Porter. “Rolling Stone” magazine raked “Otis Blue” at number 74 on its list of the“500 Greatest Albums of All Time”,
Personnel:
- Otis Redding– vocals
- Booker T. Jones– keyboards, piano
- Isaac Hayes– keyboards, piano
- Steve Cropper– guitar
- Donald Dunn– bass
- Al Jackson, Jr.– drums
- Wayne Jackson– trumpet
- Gene Miller – trumpet
- Andrew Love– tenor saxophone
- Floyd Newman– baritone saxophone
- William Bell – backing vocals
- Earl Sims – backing vocals
Track listing:
- Ole Man Trouble – Otis Redding
- Respect – Otis Redding
- Change Gonna Come – Sam Cooke
- Down in the Valley – Bert Berns, Solomon Burke, Babe Chivian, Joe Martin
- I’ve Been Loving You Too Long – Otis Redding, Jerry Butler
- Shake – Sam Cooke
- My Girl – Smokey Robinson, Ronald White
- Wonderful World – Sam Cooke, Lou Adler, Herb Alpert
- Rock Me Baby – B.B. King
- Satisfaction – Mick Jagger, Keith Richards
- You Don’t Miss Your Water – William Bell
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