“He called me the night before he passed to tell me how much he loved it”: Posthumous Steve Cropper album announced, featuring some of electric guitar’s biggest names

Steve Cropper press photo.

Right before his passing in December 2025, Stax guitar legend Steve Cropper was working on a new record featuring an all-star cast including Eric Clapton, Brian May, Billy Gibbons, and Ronnie Wood.

Now, Cropper’s final project, Watching the Tide – a reference to his performance on Otis Redding’s (Sittin’ on) the Dock of the Bay – has been confirmed for release on August 28, with the first song, Ticket First, alongside Eric Clapton, giving us a taste of what to expect from the posthumous release.