By now, most folks have no doubt heard the news that we lost a true legend last week in the late great Steve “The Colonel” Cropper, who passed away on December 3rd at the ripe old age of 84. It’s tough to overstate the contributions and impact Cropper made not only on the soul music scene in the 60s, but also on the trajectory of rock music as well through his highly influential rhythm-centric guitar playing. As the guitarist for the Stax house band Booker T. & the M.G.’s, he effectively provided the soundtrack that enabled so many legends from the scene to shine, not the least of which was Mr. Otis Redding (R.I.P.), as evidenced by this shit-hot performance of “Shake” live at the infamous Monterey Pop Festival from 1967. Here we find Otis bringing the “manic-ness” as only he could, with the rhythm behind him driven by the aforementioned, led by Steve Cropper on guitar. Quite a dynamite combination. Crank it and enjoy:
