Steve Cropper of Booker T & the MGs and Stax fame, has released the rockin’ soulful blues album, ‘Friendlytown’ with his new band the Midnight Hour. This is his 120^th album that he has either collaborated on or has issued as a solo artist.

The Midnight Hour band includes vocalist Roger C. Reale, keyboardist Eddie Gore, drummer Nioshi Jackson, and guitarist Billy Gibbons. Additionally, Felix Cavaliere, Brian May, Jon Tiven, and Simon Kirk join in on various songs.

At 82 years of age Cropper hasn’t lost a note and has found several new ones. The album is rich, tite, and one of his best.

Cropper, since the late 1950s has recorded with a veritable who’s who of rock, soul, and blues musicians, including John Lennon, Rod Stewart, B.B. King, and many, many others, garnering along way seven Grammy nominations, winning two, including the Best Rhythm and Blues Song, ‘(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay’ with Otis Redding.

Trivia: ‘(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay’ sold 4 million copies as a single, topped the Billboard Hot 100, became the sixth most performed song in 20^th century, and the Rolling Stone ranked it as the 26^th Greatest Song of All Time.

Source: AllMusic. Apple Music. Graphic: Album Cover, copyright Provogue Records.