Steve Vai said Brian May was inimitable, but the Queen guitarist was copying a 1960s icon all along

Brian May has credited Steve Cropper, the Stax Records guitarist, with shaping much of his approach to guitar. His account adds context to Steve Vai’s praise of May as an inimitable player: May himself says an important part of his sound began with learning from another musician.

May said Cropper’s playing on Booker T. & the M.G.’s 1960s song “Green Onions” showed him how a guitar could express itself like a human voice. The two later shared a musical connection, with May appearing on Cropper’s final studio album in 2024; May recalled that hearing Cropper first play still gives him shivers.