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.
Speaking about the single and the subsequent album, acclaimed songwriter-producer Jon Tiven – and Cropper’s close collaborator – says, “Making music was Steve's greatest joy. Steve was so encouraged by Friendlytown [his 2024, Grammy-nominated release]. He was adamant he wanted to do another record.
“I sent out some emails to guitar players I knew who had a great affinity for Steve, and two days later, I got an email back from Eric Clapton's manager, saying he’d be in Nashville for a concert and could we do it then,” Tiven recalls.
“He did, I believe, 11 takes on guitar. At the end, Steve and I looked at each other and said, ‘Man, you just turned the song inside out. I think we're gonna have to give you a writer's credit.’ Eric looked pretty stunned by that. And he said: ‘Well, anything to get my name next to Steve Cropper’s…’”
The A-list cameos continue with Brian May and Billy Gibbons, who lend their chops to the ballad My Angels Are Calling, Ronnie Wood on Until Now, and Tiven himself, who takes on lead guitar duties on Blood From A Stone and Here & Gone.
Yet, the process was far from easy, as those around Cropper knew he was running out of time. “I finished the mixes about a week and a half before Steve passed, and we brought a CD to him at the medical facility,” Tiven says.
“He called me the night before he passed to tell me how much he loved it. He was playing it for everyone who came to visit him, telling them it was the best record he’d ever made.”
“I know this record provided great joy to Steve in the last year of his life, and I’m so glad he was able to have this great creative burst that was so strong…” he concludes.
Watching the Tide is available to preorder via Provogue/Artone Label Group.
