Three guitar legends. One deeply moving farewell. And a song carrying more musical history than most record collections.
Queen legend Brian May has taken on lead vocals for the stirring new Steve Cropper & The Midnight Hour track ‘My Angels Are Calling’, an emotional tribute to the late guitar icon that also features ZZ Top’s Billy F. Gibbons.
Released on 28 August 2026, the soulful ballad appears on Steve Cropper’s posthumous album Watching The Tide — and this isn’t simply another superstar collaboration.
This one hits right in the feels, mun. ❤️🎸
🎤 Brian May Steps Up to the Microphone
We obviously know Brian May as the bloke responsible for some of the most recognisable guitar sounds ever committed to tape.
That homemade Red Special has screamed, sung and soared its way through rock history with Queen.
But on ‘My Angels Are Calling’, May isn’t merely there to deliver another monster guitar moment.
He’s the lead vocalist.
Even more poignantly, May wrote the song’s lyrics and co-wrote the music alongside Steve Cropper, Roger C. Reale and Jon Tiven.
The concept became deeply personal following Cropper’s death in December 2025.
May had already been collaborating with Cropper and his band when the legendary guitarist passed away. Hearing Cropper’s unmistakable playing on the backing track afterwards changed how May approached the song.
Rather than simply finishing their collaboration, he began imagining the track as a farewell.
May explained that he wanted to step into Cropper’s mind and imagine his thoughts as the time came to move on — retaining the optimism and gratitude that May associated with him.
Producer Jon Tiven described May as essentially singing from Steve Cropper’s point of view, looking back over his life and journey.
Bloody hell.
That’s powerful stuff. ❤️
🌊 Back to the Dock of the Bay
There’s another beautiful layer buried within the song.
Steve Cropper famously co-wrote ‘(Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay’ with Otis Redding, released in 1968 following Redding’s tragic death.
It became one of the defining recordings of its generation.
For My Angels Are Calling, May imagined Cropper approaching the end of his journey and perhaps viewing heaven as a return to that peaceful dock by the water.
The new song even begins with the sound of waves.
It’s subtle.
It’s respectful.
And once you understand the connection, it hits like an emotional freight train.
The title of Cropper’s posthumous album, Watching The Tide, carries that connection even further.
🎸 And Then Billy Gibbons Turns Up…
Because apparently one legendary guitarist wasn’t enough.
Enter Billy F. Gibbons.
The bearded blues-rock wizard from ZZ Top provides the song’s closing guitar solo, introduced during the track by May himself.
Three utterly distinctive guitar worlds effectively collide:
🎸 Steve Cropper
👑 Brian May
🧔 Billy Gibbons
But crucially, My Angels Are Calling doesn’t feel like three famous musicians trying to outplay each other.
There’s no six-string Olympics here.
The song comes first.
And considering Cropper built an extraordinary career around knowing exactly what a song needed — rather than simply filling every available space with guitar — that feels incredibly appropriate.
👑 Brian May Pays Tribute to a Guitar Hero
May has spoken warmly about the influence Cropper’s playing had on generations of musicians.
Following Cropper’s passing, he heard something different within the recording they had been working on.
It became an opportunity to say goodbye.
May described imagining Cropper approaching the end of his life with gratitude for everything he’d experienced, while the angels called him towards whatever came next.
And having Billy Gibbons deliver the final solo gave the Queen guitarist one more special ingredient.
May said he was “very proud to be a part of it.”
And you can understand why.
This isn’t simply Brian May guesting on another musician’s record.
It feels like one guitar legend reaching across generations to salute another.
🎶 Steve Cropper – The Guitarist Behind an Extraordinary Musical Legacy
For anyone unfamiliar with just how enormous Steve Cropper’s influence was, we’re talking about one of the architects of American soul and rhythm & blues.
Cropper became synonymous with the legendary Stax Records sound and was guitarist with Booker T. & the M.G.’s.
His career stretched across more than six decades as a guitarist, songwriter, producer and engineer.
And then there’s the songwriting.
Alongside Otis Redding, Cropper co-wrote ‘(Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay’ — one of those songs that has long since escaped the boundaries of genre and simply become part of popular music history.
He was also part of The Blues Brothers universe, bringing that unmistakable economical guitar style to another generation of listeners.
Cropper died on 3 December 2025, aged 84.
But he left behind one hell of a musical footprint.
💿 ‘Watching The Tide’ Brings Out Even MORE Guitar Royalty
As if Brian May and Billy Gibbons weren’t enough, Cropper’s posthumous Watching The Tide album has an absolutely ridiculous guest list.
Eric Clapton appears on ‘Ticket First’, while Rolling Stones legend Ronnie Wood contributes slide guitar to ‘Until Now’.
So we’re talking about an album featuring:
🎸 Steve Cropper
👑 Brian May
🧔 Billy Gibbons
🎸 Eric Clapton
👅 Ronnie Wood
That’s not a guest list.
That’s the guitar department of Valhalla having a staff meeting.
The album was recorded at Nashville’s historic RCA Studio C, with Cropper working alongside songwriter and producer Jon Tiven and Midnight Hour vocalist Roger C. Reale.
Also involved in the sessions were vocalist Ana Grosh, drummer Nioshi Jackson and engineer/multi-instrumentalist Eddie Gore.
❤️ More Than Just Another All-Star Collaboration
On paper, My Angels Are Calling could easily be marketed on the names alone.
Steve Cropper.
Brian May.
Billy Gibbons.
That’s enough guitar royalty to make half of Classic Rock magazine spontaneously combust.
🔥😂
But that’s not really what makes this recording special.
It’s the story behind it.
It’s Brian May hearing Cropper’s guitar after his friend’s death and deciding the song should become something more meaningful.
It’s May imagining Cropper looking back over an extraordinary life.
It’s the waves crashing in the background.
It’s the connection back to Otis Redding and Dock Of The Bay.
And then it’s Billy Gibbons arriving with that unmistakable guitar tone to help bring the whole thing home.
Sometimes music doesn’t need to be loud to hit hard.
This one absolutely does.
🤘 The Riff Report Verdict
There are songs designed to dominate playlists.
There are songs built for arenas.
And then there are songs that exist because musicians needed to say something.
‘My Angels Are Calling’ feels like the latter.
Brian May isn’t trying to impersonate Steve Cropper. He’s giving voice to an imagined final reflection from a musician whose playing helped shape generations of guitarists.
Billy Gibbons adds another beautifully distinctive voice through his guitar.
And underneath everything sits Steve Cropper himself.
Still playing.
Still influencing.
Still making music.
That’s perhaps the most fitting farewell of all.
Steve Cropper & The Midnight Hour’s Watching The Tide is out now via Provogue / Artone Label Group, with ‘My Angels Are Calling’ featuring Brian May and Billy F. Gibbons available now.
Turn it up, listen properly and raise something to one of the genuine architects of modern guitar music. 🍺🎸
Rest easy, Steve Cropper. The riffs are still ringing. ❤️🤘
The Riff Report Blog
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