69-year old legend Steve Cropper is about to release his debut solo album with an all-star cast of very famous friends including Steve Winwood, Lucinda Williams, Brian May, B.B. King, Sharon Jones and Buddy Miller.
The former Booker T. & The MGs / Blues Brothers guitarist has produced the project as a tribute to Lowman Pete Pauling and his band The 5 Royales.
Cropper put together his dream band for the project, David Hood (bass), Spooner Oldham (piano/electric piano, organ), Steve Ferrone (drums), Steve Jordan (drums, percussion), Neal Sugarman (from the Dap Kings) and his co-producer Jon Tiven (saxophones).
"Part of getting older and still being able to play and all of that---at a certain point it becomes about educating the next generation,” Cropper said in a statement. “I've already had four of five careers and I'm lucky to be alive. If I can educate these young ears as to where the music started, because they're always asking, and if I can get them interested in The 5 Royales I've done something."
The album has been titled ‘Dedicated’.
Says Steve Winwood: "Steve Cropper is a legend, one of those greats who not only writes classic stuff but plays classic stuff as well! It was a great pleasure for me to be able to work on ‘Dedicated’ and to be part of some great classic heritage music”.
As a songwriter, Cropper wrote some of the greatest R&B songs of all-time like ‘Knock On Wood’, ‘In The Midnight Hour’ and ‘Sitting On The Dock Of The Bay’.
‘Dedicated’ will be released on July 5.
The track Listing is:
30 Second Lover (w/ Steve Winwood)
Don't Be Ashamed (w/ Bettye LaVette & Willie Jones)
Baby Don't Do It (w/ BB King & Shemekia Copeland)
Dedicated To The One I Love (w/ Lucinda Williams & Dan Penn)
My Sugar Sugar ( w/ John Popper)
Right Around The Corner (w/ Delbert McClinton)
Help Me Somebody (Instrumental)
I Do ( w/ Brian May)
Messin' Up (w/Sharon Jones)
Say It (w/ Bettye LaVette)
Slummer The Slum (w/ Buddy Miller)
Someone Made You For Me (w/Dan Penn)
Think (instrumental)
Come On And Save Me (Leblanc and Sharon Jones)
When I Get Like This (w/ Lucinda Williams)
VIDEO: Donald Duck Dunn, watch the Undercover interview:
