The global music community today marks the arrival of Watching The Tide, the final, posthumous studio record from soul icon, songwriter, and Stax Records architect Steve Cropper. Released as a monument to a career that fundamentally reshaped 20th-century American popular music, the dozen-track collection features an unprecedented gathering of rock and blues royalty honoring the man known affectionately across the industry as "The Colonel."
At the centerpiece of today’s album release is the debut of "My Angels Are Calling," a deeply poignant narrative track co-written, arranged, and sung by Queen guitarist Sir Brian May, featuring a soul-stirring guitar solo from ZZ Top frontman Billy F. Gibbons. Accompanying the single’s arrival is an official music video that serves as a visual eulogy, capturing the reflective, spiritual ethos of Cropper’s final studio sessions.
Produced and co-written by Cropper’s longtime creative partner Jon Tiven, Watching The Tide stands as both an artistic triumph and a poignant closing chapter. Cropper, who passed away on December 3 at the age of 84, had brought ten of the album’s eleven principal tracks to near completion prior to his death. The remaining production work brought together a historic roster of guest musicians—including Eric Clapton and The Rolling Stones’ Ronnie Wood—who joined forces to transform the album into a monumental tribute.
Rather than functioning merely as an archival assembly of unfinished outtakes, Watching The Tide emerges as a fully realized thematic statement. Anchored by the thematic imagery of Otis Redding’s "(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay"—which Cropper famously co-wrote and recorded in 1967—the album confronts themes of mortality, creative legacy, and spiritual peace through the lens of those whom Cropper directly inspired.
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STEVE CROPPER: FINAL STUDIO PROJECT
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Album Title : Watching The Tide
Predecessor Album : Friendlytown (2024)
Executive Producer : Jon Tiven
Key Collaborators : Sir Brian May, Billy F. Gibbons, Eric Clapton, Ronnie Wood
Lead Single : "Ticket First" (feat. Eric Clapton)
Focus Track : "My Angels Are Calling" (feat. Brian May & Billy F. Gibbons)
Date of Passing : December 3 (Aged 84)
Core Legacy : Booker T. & the M.G.'s, Stax Records House Band, The Blues Brothers
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Detailed Chronology
The journey toward Watching The Tide represents the culmination of an extraordinarily prolific final era in Steve Cropper’s six-decade career. To understand the genesis of this posthumous work, one must examine the timeline of studio sessions, collaborative breakthroughs, and the sudden transition following Cropper’s passing.
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| PROJECT TIMELINE |
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| 2024 : Release of 'Friendlytown'; initial songwriting begins for |
| the follow-up record with Jon Tiven. |
| Mid-to-Late 2024 : Studio sessions in full swing; 10 tracks recorded with |
| Steve Cropper's core rhythm tracks. |
| Late 2024 : Initial outreach to guest artists; Brian May begins work |
| on original backing track. |
| Dec 3, 2024 : Steve Cropper passes away at age 84. |
| Post-Dec 2024 : Posthumous completion phase; May rewrites track into |
| "My Angels Are Calling"; Eric Clapton records solo for |
| "Ticket First"; Billy Gibbons contributes lead guitar. |
| Release Day : Official global launch of 'Watching The Tide' alongside |
| the music video drop for "My Angels Are Calling". |
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The Inception Phase (2024)
Following the critical acclaim of his 2024 album Friendlytown, Cropper showed no signs of slowing down his output. Working out of Nashville alongside producer, multi-instrumentalist, and songwriter Jon Tiven, Cropper began sketching out ideas for a follow-up release. The primary directive for the sessions was simple: maintain the rhythmic grip, economical guitar phrasing, and raw groove that had defined Cropper’s historic work with Booker T. & the M.G.’s and Sam & Dave.
By the autumn of 2024, Cropper and Tiven had recorded the foundation for eleven new compositions. Cropper completed his signature rhythm guitar parts and master arrangements on ten of those tracks, laying down the harmonic bedrock that would later allow guest stars to overlay their own contributions.
The Pivot and Transition (Late 2024)
During these ongoing sessions, Tiven began circulating backing tracks to a selective circle of iconic musicians, inviting them to lend their voices and instruments to the album. Among the first to respond was Queen’s Sir Brian May, who was dispatched an instrumental featuring one of Cropper’s trademark Telecaster rhythm riffs.
However, the nature of the project shifted dramatically on December 3, when Steve Cropper died at the age of 84. The loss sent shockwaves across the music world, triggering an immediate reassessment of the ongoing studio work. For May, the news transformed what had been a routine collaborative feature into an urgent emotional duty. He completely reimagined the track’s lyrical direction, reframing the composition from a standard soul-rock tune into a biographical, first-person reflection written from Cropper’s perspective as he crossed the threshold of life.
Completion and Release
In the months following Cropper’s passing, Tiven meticulously oversaw the final mixing, mastering, and guest recording sessions. Eric Clapton contributed a blistering, emotionally charged solo to the album’s lead single, "Ticket First." Meanwhile, ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons joined the fold to add his signature Texas-blues phrasing to "My Angels Are Calling," framing May’s vocal performance with searing lead work.
Today marks the culmination of this extraordinary effort: Watching The Tide is available worldwide across all physical and digital platforms, accompanied by the video release for "My Angels Are Calling."
Supporting Context & Metrics
The Legacy of "The Colonel": From Memphis to the World
To fully appreciate the historical gravity of Watching The Tide, one must contextualize Steve Cropper’s foundational impact on modern music. As a founding member of Booker T. & the M.G.’s—Stax Records’ legendary, racially integrated house band—Cropper was instrumental in defining the sound of Southern soul throughout the 1960s.
Cropper’s signature style stood apart from the flamboyant, solo-heavy approach that dominated the rock era. His ethos was defined by restraint, chordal punctuations, flawless syncopation, and tone crafted almost exclusively through a Fender Telecaster plugged into a cranked tube amplifier. His playing formed the backbone of landmark recordings, including:
Otis Redding: "(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay," "Respect"
Sam & Dave: "Soul Man," "Hold On, I’m Comin’"
Wilson Pickett: "In the Midnight Hour"
Booker T. & the M.G.’s: "Green Onions," "Time Is Tight"
In the late 1970s, Cropper reached a new generation of listeners when John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd recruited him to join The Blues Brothers band, cementing his status as a pop-culture icon and enduring ambassador for R&B.
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| STEVE CROPPER: DISCOGRAPHY & IMPACT METRICS |
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| Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Inductee : 1992 (with Booker T. & the M.G.'s) |
| Songwriters Hall of Fame Inductee : 2005 |
| Rolling Stone 100 Greatest Guitarists: Ranked #39 All-Time |
| Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award : 2007 |
| Key Co-Writing Credits : "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" |
| "In the Midnight Hour" |
| "Knock on Wood" |
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Sonic Contrast: The Guitar Synergy on "My Angels Are Calling"
"My Angels Are Calling" offers a masterclass in contrasting guitar philosophies. The track juxtaposes three distinctly legendary guitar tones:
Steve Cropper’s Foundation: The rhythmic core is driven by Cropper’s crisp, mid-range Telecaster groove, characterized by tight double-stops, subtle chromatic slides, and steady, pocket-focused timing.
Brian May’s Sonic Architecture: May’s contribution extends beyond his lead vocal performance. Utilizing his famed "Red Special" guitar and treble-booster setup, May layers warm, orchestral harmonies beneath the bridge, providing an operatic backdrop that amplifies the song’s spiritual weight.
Billy F. Gibbons’ Blues Fire: Gibbons delivers the song’s primary solo, using his thick, harmonic-rich "Pearly Gates" Les Paul tone. Gibbons’ playing brings a gritty, southern-blues edge that balances May’s refined production choices, creating a dialogue between British classic rock and American roots music.
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| SONIC PROFILE: "MY ANGELS ARE CALLING" COLLABORATORS |
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| ARTIST | PRIMARY INSTRUMENT | TONAL CHARACTERISTICS |
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| Steve Cropper | Fender Telecaster | Crisp, rhythmic, pocket-driven, |
| | | clean mid-range punch |
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| Sir Brian May | "Red Special" (Home-built) | Multi-layered, singing sustain, |
| | | vocalic, orchestral harmonies |
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| Billy F. Gibbons| 1959 Gibson Les Paul Standard| Gritty, pinch-harmonic heavy, |
| | ("Pearly Gates") | thick Texas-blues growl |
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Official Statements
The emotional framework of Watching The Tide is preserved in the detailed reflections shared by the key artists and producers involved in its creation.
Sir Brian May on Channeling Cropper’s Mindset
Reflecting on the recording process and the sudden death of his friend, Brian May described the profound artistic pivot that occurred once he learned of Cropper’s passing:
"We were all incredibly sad at Steve’s passing, and I was already collaborating with Steve and his band on a track for this album. The backing track, which Jon Tiven, producer of the album and a very old friend of mine, sent me, includes Steve Cropper’s unmistakable riff in a style which has influenced us all massively over the years.
"As soon as Steve was gone, I could hear something different in my head – a tribute to Cropper himself. The way I saw it, I wanted to try to step into his mind at the moment when he knew it was time to move on. So in the track I’m attempting to speak with his voice, and I felt that spiritually he would find a way of bringing his usual optimism into play.
"In the song, the angels are calling, and it seems to me that, along with being grateful for his wonderful life, he would imagine heaven to be something like going back to sitting on the dock of the bay, a moment in time that he shared with Otis Redding, creating that immortal hit, Dock Of The Bay. Having Billy Gibbons play a spectacular solo for me is the final wonderful bonus to this experience. The whole band did a terrific job, and I’m very proud to be a part of it."
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| KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM MAY |
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| 1. Perspective Shift : Rewrote the track to speak from Cropper's vocal viewpoint |
| 2. Conceptual Arc : Envisioned heaven as a return to "The Dock of the Bay" |
| 3. Synergy : Highlighted Gibbons' solo as the crucial final element |
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Jon Tiven on the Album’s Emotional Narrative
Producer Jon Tiven, who worked side-by-side with Cropper during his final years, underscored the dramatic narrative weight of May’s lyrics:
"Brian is singing from Steve’s point of view—looking back over his life and his road. It’s very powerful."
Tiven also shared an anecdote regarding Eric Clapton’s participation on the album’s lead single, "Ticket First," illustrating the reverence the world’s most elite guitarists held for Cropper:
"I told Eric, ‘Man, you just turned that song inside-out—I think we’re gonna have to give you a writer’s credit.’ And Eric said, ‘Well, anything to get my name next to Steve Cropper’s…’"
"Anything to get my name
next to Steve Cropper's."
— ERIC CLAPTON
Future Outlook
The release of Watching The Tide sets a high watermark for posthumous album releases. Rather than leaving behind an unfinished legacy, Cropper’s final record stands as a fully realized artistic statement—one orchestrated by a producer who understood his vision and executed by peers who revered his craft.
Preserving the Stax Heritage
Watching The Tide guarantees that Steve Cropper’s minimalist, rhythm-first philosophy remains central to contemporary conversations about the electric guitar. At a time when modern production often relies heavily on digital quantization and pitch correction, Cropper’s final tracks offer a reminder of the power of human timing, organic amp tube saturation, and the fundamental beauty of the groove.
Historians and archivists point to the album as a vital bridge between the golden age of 1960s Soul and the rock pantheon that grew out of it. The inclusion of figures like May, Clapton, Gibbons, and Wood proves that the Memphis soul sound pioneered at 926 East McLemore Avenue was foundational to the global rock explosion that followed.
The Lasting Impact of ‘Watching The Tide’
With its title paying explicit homage to "(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay," the album brings Steve Cropper’s narrative full circle. In 1967, Cropper sat with Otis Redding to craft a song about quiet contemplation, loss, and the passage of time. Nearly six decades later, Cropper’s final record revisits that same bay, looking out over the water with the quiet confidence of a master craftsman whose work is complete.
As music fans stream the new video for "My Angels Are Calling" and explore the twelve tracks of Watching The Tide, they are not merely listening to a tribute—they are witnessing the final, triumphant bow of a titan who changed the sound of modern music forever.
