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: Wilson Pickett
The Flying Burrito Brothers: Last Of the Red Hot Burritos
In May 1972, “A&M” label released “Last of the Red Hot Burritos”, the fourth Flying Burrito Brothers (The) album. It was recorded in 1972, and was produced by Jim Dickson.
Personnel:
- Chris Hillman – vocals, bass, mandolin
- Rick Roberts – vocals, rhythm guitar
- Al Perkins – pedal steel guitar, lead electric guitar
- Kenny Wertz – vocals, guitar, banjo
- Michael Clarke – drums
- Byron Berline – fiddle
- Roger Bush – vocals, acoustic bass, acoustic guitar
- Earl P. Ball or Spooner Oldham – piano
Track listing:
- Christine’s Tune – Chris Hillman, Gram Parsons
- Six Days on the Road – Earl Green, Carl Montgomery
- My Uncle – Chris Hillman, Gram Parsons
- Dixie Breakdown – Jimmie Lunceford, Don Reno
- Don’t Let Your Deal Go Down – Louise Certain, Gladys Stacey Flatt, Jerry Organ, Wayne Walker
- Orange Blossom Special – Ervin T. Rouse
- Ain’t That a Lot of Love – Homer Banks, Deanie Parker
- High Fashion Queen – Chris Hillman, Gram Parsons
- Don’t Forget It – Wilson Pickett, Steve Cropper
- Hot Burrito #2 – Chris Ethridge, Gram Parsons
- Losing Game – James Carr, Dennis Weaver
The Young Rascals: Same
On March 28, 1966, “Atlantic” label released the self-titled, debut Young Rascals (The) studio album. It was recorded September 1965 – March 1966, and was produced by Gene Cornish, Felix Cavaliere, Dino Danelli and Eddie Brigati.
Personnel:
- Gene Cornish – vocals, guitar
- Felix Cavaliere – vocals, organ
- Dino Danelli – drums
- Eddie Brigati – vocals, percussion
Track listing:
- Slow Down – Larry Williams
- Baby Let’s Wait – Pam Sawyer, Lori Burton
- Just a Little – Ron Elliott, Bob Durand
- I Believe – Ervin Drake, Irvin Graham, Jimmy Shirl, Al Stillman
- Do You Feel It – Felix Cavaliere, Gene Cornish
- Good Lovin’ – Artie Resnick, Rudy Clark
- Like a Rolling Stone – Bob Dylan
- Mustang Sally – Mack Rice
- I Ain’t Gonna Eat Out My Heart Anymore – Pam Sawyer, Lori Burton
- In the Midnight Hour – Steve Cropper, Wilson Pickett
The Staple Singers: Be Attidude: Respect Yoirself
On February 14, 1972, “Stax” label released “Be Altitude: Respect Yourself”, the 19th Staple Singers (The) album. It was recorded 1971 – 1972, at “Muscle Shoals Sound Studios” in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, “Ardent Studios” in Memphis, Tennessee, and was produced by Al Bell.
Personnel:
- Mavis Staples – vocals
- Pops Staples – vocals
- Cleotha Staples – harmony and backing vocals
- Yvonne Staples – harmony and backing vocals
Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section
- Jimmy Johnson – guitar
- David Hood – bass guitar
- Barry Beckett – keyboards, Wurlitzer electric piano
- Roger Hawkins – drums
- Staple Sisters – harmony and backing vocals
- Terry Manning – guitar, lead guitar, fuzz guitar, Mellotron, Moog synthesizer, vibraphones, marimba, harmonica
- Eddie Hinton – guitar
- Raymond Banks – guitar
- The Memphis Horns (including Wayne Jackson and Andrew Love) – horns
- Ben Cauley – horns
- Al Bell – arrangements
- Johnny Allen – arrangements
- Terry Manning – engineer
- Jerry Masters – engineer
- Ralph Rhodes – engineer
Track listing:
- This World – William Friedman, Herb Schapiro
- Respect Yourself – Luther Ingram, Mack Rice
- Name the Missing Word – Horner Banks, Bettye Crutcher, Raymond Jackson
- I’ll Take You There – Alvertis Isbell
- This Old Town (People in This Town) – Don Convay, Wilson Pickett, William Stevenson
- We the People – Booker T. Jones, Carl Smith
- Are You Sure – Homer Banks, Raymond Jackson
- Who Do You Think You Are (Jesus Christ the Superstar)? – Pops Staples
- I’m Just Another Soldier – Homer Banks, Raymond Jackson
- Who – Jeff Barry, Bobby Bloom
Jackie Wilson And Count Basie: Manufacturers Of Soul
In June 1968, “Brunswick” label released “Manufacturers of Soul”, album by Jackie Wilson and Count Basie (the 18th Jackie Wilson album overall). It was recorded in January 1968, in Los Angeles, and was produced by Nat Tarnopol and Teddy Reig.
Personnel:
- Jackie Wilson – vocals
- Count Basie – piano
- Bobby Plater, Marshal Royal – alto saxophone
- Eric Dixon, Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis – tenor saxophone
- Charlie Fowlkes – baritone saxophone
- Al Aarons, Oscar Brashear, Gene Coe, Sonny Cohn – trumpet
- Richard Boone, Steve Galloway, Grover Mitchell – trombone
- Bill Hughes – bass trombone
- Freddie Green – guitar
- Uncredited – bass
- Harold Jones – drums
- Benny Carter – arrangements
- Decca Photo Studio – photography
- Hal Buksbaum – photography
- Teddy Reig – liner notes
Track listing.
- Funky Broadway – Lester Christian
- For Your Precious Love – Arthur Brooks, Richard Brooks, Jerry Butler
- In the Midnight Hour – Steve Cropper, Wilson Pickett
- Ode to Billy Joe – Bobbie Gentry
- Chain Gang – Sam Cooke
- I Was Made to Love Her – Stevie Wonder, Lula Mae Hardaway, Henry Cosby, Sylvia Moy
- Uptight (Everything’s Alright) – Stevie Wonder, Henry Cosby, Sylvia Moy
- I Never Loved a Woman (The Way I Love You) – Ronnie Shannon
- Respect – Otis Redding
- Even When You Cry – Quincy Jones, Alan and Marilyn Bergman
- My Girl – Smokey Robinson, Ronald White
The Righteous Brothers: Soul & Inspiration
In April 1966, “Verve” label released “Soul & Inspiration”, the seventh Righteous Brothers (The) album. It was recorded in 1966, at “United Recording”, Hollywood, and was produced by Bill Medley.
Personnel:
- Bill Medley – vocal
- Bobby Hatfield – vocal
- Art Munson – guitar
- Michael Patterson – piano
- Jim Bond – bass
- Drew Johnson – drums
- Bill Baker – saxophone, arrangements
- Bill King – trumpet
- Sandford Skinner – trumpet
- Bob Faust – trumpet
- Dick Shearer – trombone
- Michael Patterson – conductor
- Jim Lockert – engineer
- Val Valentin – engineer
- Acy Lehman – design
- Mike Gross – liner notes
Track listing:
- Soul and Inspiration – Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil
- He Will Break Your Heart – Calvin Carter, Curtis Mayfield, Jerry Butler
- Stand By – Bill Medley
- In the Midnight Hour – Steve Cropper, Wilson Pickett
- He – Jack Richards, Richard Mullan
- I’m Leaving It Up to You – Dewey Terry, Don Harris
- Turn On Your Love Lights – Deadric Malone, Joseph Scott
- Hey, Girl – Gerry Goffin, Carole King
- Mine All Mine – Bill Medley
- Change Is Goin’ To Come – Sam Cooke
- Bring It on Home – Sam Cooke
- Rat Race – Elmer Bernstein
Solomon Burke: Rock’N’Soul
In July 1964, “Atlantic” label released “Rock ‘N Soul”, the fifth Solomon Burke album. It was recorded in 1963, and was produced by Bert Berns.
Personnel:
- Solomon Burke – vocals
- Phil Ichle – engineer
- Tom Dowd – engineer
- Malcolm Walker – cover design
- Jerry Wexler – production supervision
Personnel:
- Goodbye Baby (Baby Goodbye) – Wes Farrell, Bert Russell
- Cry to Me – Bert Russell
- Won’t You Give Him (One More Chance) – Joseph Martin, Winfield Scott
- If You Need Me – Robert Bateman, Wilson Pickett, Sonny Sanders
- Hard, Ain’t It Hard – Woody Guthrie
- Can’t Nobody Love You – James Mitchell
- Just Out of Reach – Virgil Stewart
- You’re Good for Me – Don Covay, Horace Ott
- You Can’t Love Them All – Bert Berns, Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller, Nugetre
- Someone to Love Me – Sonny Burke
- Beautiful Brown Eyes – Sonny Burke, Bert Russell
- He’ll Have to Go – Audrey Allison, Joe Allison
The New Birth: Coming Together
On March 24, 1972, “RCA” label released “Coming Together”, the third New Birth (The) studio album. It was recorded 1970 – 1971, and was produced by Harvey Fugua.
Personnel:
- Bert De Coteaux – arrangements, conductor
- Harvey Fuqua – arrangements, conductor
- Vernon Bullock – arrangements, conductor
- Jim Crotty – engineer
- Acy Lehman – art direction
- Frank Mulvey – design
- George Adams – photography
- Vince Aletti – liner notes
Track listing:
- Two Kinds of People (I Am) – Vernon Bullock
- Oh Baby, I Love the Way – Harvey Fugua
- Yesterday I Heard the Rain – Armando Manzanero, Gene Lees
- African City – Ann Bogan, Harvey Fugua, Leslie Wilson, Melvin Wilson
- I Don’t Want to Do Wrong – Bibba Knight, Gladys Knight, Johnny Bristol, Katherine Schaffner, William Guest
- Don’t Knock My Love – Brad Shapiro, Wilson Pickett
- If I Can’t have You – Brook Benton, Etta James, Harvey Fugua
- All the Way – Sammy Cahn, Jimmy Van Hausen
- Unh Song – Harvey Fugua, Vernon Bullock
- Come Back into My Life – Vernon Bullock
The Chambers Brothers: The Time Has Come
In November 1967, “Columbia” label released “The Time Has Come”, the debut Chambers Brothers (The) album. It was recorded in August 1967, and was produced by David Rubinson.
Personnel:
- Lester Chambers – lead vocal
- Willie Chambers – vocal, guitars
- Joseph Chambers – vocal, guitar
- George Chambers – vocal, bass
- Brian Keenan – drums
- Gary Sherman – arranger
- Jim Marshall – photography
Track listing:
- All Strung Out Over You – Rudy Clark
- People Get Ready – Curtis Mayfield
- I Can’t Stand It – Lester Chambers
- Romeo and Juliet – Lester Chambers
- In the Midnight Hour – Steve Cropper, Wilson Pickett
- So Tired – Andre Goodwin, Lester Chambers, Willie Chambers, Joseph Chambers, George Chambers, Brian Keenan
- Uptown – Betty Mabry
- Please Don’t Leave Me – Lester Chambers, Willie Chambers, Joseph Chambers, George Chambers, Brian Keenan
- What the World Needs Now Is Love – Burt Bacharach, Hal David
- Time Has Come Today – Joseph Chambers, Willie Chambers
Gerald “Jerry” Wexler
On August 15, 2008, Gerald “Jerry” Wexler died aged 91. He was music journalist and producer, one of the main music industry personalities in the period from the 50s through the 80s. He played significant role in signing and producing many of most famous music acts of that period, including Bob Dylan, Aretha Franklin, Led Zeppelin, Ray Charles, the Allman Brothers, Chris Connor, Wilson Pickett, Dire Straits and Dusty Springfield. Wexler coined the term “Rhythm and Blues” while writing for “Billboard” magazine in the late 1940s. In 1987, Wexler was inducted to the “Rock and Roll Hall of Fame”, and in 2017 to the “National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame”.
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