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[Cropper Classic]

"One of the most fun and greatest things that we ever did was work with John Belushi and Dan Akyroyd. Nobody can ever take away the fact that [Donald] Duck Dunn and I played a very significant influence into that music. They were strictly going after the blues aspect, they could care less about R&B. That’s what Duck and I brought to the table. We said, “Hey, you guys, if you’re going to be standing up there together why don’t you do something like Sam and Dave, do some dance steps?” Oh really? Well what did they do? I looked to [Paul] Shaffer and I said, “You know ‘Soul Man?’” And he said, “Yeah.” Hit it. John said that’s too high for me. So we took it from G, whatever it was, and took it down to E. He started singing it and boom. I think that was the biggest selling record that we had single-wise. And it brought to life the younger ears because they had the comedy aspect, and the success of Saturday Nigh Live. And so that music got to relive itself again."

Read the entire interview here..........

[Steam McQueen]

Lots of good stuff in that interview. Thanks, Cropper!

Quote

Steve Cropper’s resume is staggering. As the guitarist for Booker T & The MGs—and therefore the house guitarist for Stax Records—he not only played with the likes of Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett and Eddie Floyd, he wrote with them, too: “(Sittin’ on) The Dock of the Bay,” “Midnight Hour” and “Knock on Wood” are just a few to his credit. Never one to rest on his laurels—he’s toured and recorded with everyone from Neil Young and John Lennon to Jeff Beck and Levon Helm—he’s recently released a new album with The Rascals’ Felix Cavaliere on the reinvigorated Stax label.