Steve Cropper

Sometimes referred to as "The Colonel". One of the the best-known soul guitar players in the world, Cropper started in the early '60s, first with the Mar-Keys, later as a founding member of Booker T and the MGs. A major figure in the Southern soul movement of the '60s, Cropper made his mark not only as a player and arranger (most notably on classics by Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, and Wilson Pickett) but as a songwriter as well, co-writing such soul classic as "Sitting At The Dock Of The Bay" and "In the Midnight Hour."

After the breakup of the MG's, Cropper spent most of the '70s producing Tower Of Power, Paul Simon, Ringo Starr, Buddy Guy, Poco, Jeff Beck and Mitch Ryder, among others. In the '80s, he rode the classic Stax sound (which he helped shape) back to popularity with a new audience when actors John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd tapped him for service in the Blues Brothers, a Saturday Night Live skit that stretched into several albums and the Blues Brothers movie.

Croppers immense contribution to popular music over the last four decades was recognized by England's Mojo Magazine in 1996, who ranked him as the number two guitarist of all-time (Jimi Hendrix was the number one).