"I had been raised on country and western in Missouri. But gospel was great"

In the quote "I had actually been raised on country music in Missouri. However gospel was excellent", Steve Cropper succinctly catches a journey of musical direct exposure and appreciation, reflecting on the diversity in his musical upbringing and its impact on his innovative development. The quote can be unpacked to reveal much deeper themes around cultural influences, individual development, and musical authenticity.

Steve Cropper, celebrated for his contributions to soul and rhythm & blues as a guitar player and songwriter, mean his foundational roots in country and western music that were embedded in him throughout his early years in Missouri. This category, identified by its storytelling, emotive lyrics, and instrumental arrangements, most likely offered Cropper with a preliminary framework for understanding music, storytelling, and musicianship. Country and western music, with its local ties and cultural pertinence, typically showed the daily lives and battles of the American heartland, styles that might resonate deeply with someone raised in a state like Missouri.

However, Cropper's acknowledgment of gospel music with the phrase "But gospel was terrific" recommends a critical point of appreciation and impact that transcends his preliminary musical upbringing. Gospel music, known for its extensive psychological expression, spiritual depth, and powerful singing efficiencies, may have introduced Cropper to a various, perhaps more passionate, dimension of music. The balanced complexity and the soulful intensity of gospel might have exceptionally affected Cropper's later work, particularly considering his important role in forming the noise of soul music with bands like Booker T. & the M.G.'s and artists like Otis Redding.

This contrast and subsequent appreciation highlight the fluid nature of musical inspiration and evolution. Cropper's embrace of gospel, in spite of being rooted in a different genre, underscores an essential reality about music: its power to go beyond limits, connect hearts, and impact artists in unanticipated and extensive methods. This gratitude possibly contributed to Cropper's flexibility and depth as an artist, enabling him to fuse components from diverse categories into a distinct and influential sound.