Steely Dan Information

The American jazz rock band Steely Dan is based around musicians and songwriters Walter Becker and Donald Fagen. Starting as a straight rock band in the early Steely Dan achieved success with hits such as "Reelin' In The Years" in the early '70s. Steely Dan produced only studio work later in the decade. In the 1990s, Walter Becker and Donald Fagen restructured the band as a large jazz-rock ensemble that tours regularly and has released several acclaimed live and studio albums. Many of their lyrics have an ironic twist and hidden meanings. Often their topics are social or political with some references to sex, drugs and rock and roll, yet they are not "party songs." Counter-melodies and solid but supple rhythms are the backbone of Steely Dan's songs. Soulful vocals are also common and Michael McDonald, Venetta Fields, Shirley Matthews, and Clydie King have worked with Steely Dan.

Becker and Fagen met at College in New York. They played briefly with the pop group Jay and the Americans. They were hired as song writers. Gary Katz, a staff producer for ABC Records, suggested they form a band because their songs were too complex for other ABC artists. Guitarists Denny Dias and Jeff "Skunk" Baxter, drummer Jim Hodder, and singer-keyboard player David Palmer joined the duo. Donald Fagen resisted singing and suffered occasional stage fright. But Katz and Becker eventually convinced Fagen that he was the one who best conveyed the attitude and meaning of the songs. David Plamer left the group by the second album. Later Steely Dan added highly-rated session drummer Jeff Porcaro (later a member of Toto) and also added singer Michael McDonald for back-up vocals. Both would become prominent on this and future Steely Dan recordings and would illustrate the duo's increasing reliance on session musicians. Walter Becker and Donald Fagen hated touring, which caused dissension within the band. Jeff Baxter and later Michael McDonald left to join the Doobie Brothers. Over time the other members left as Walter Becker and Donald Fagen relied increasingly on studio musicians.

Steely Dan won accolades and awards as a studio band. Their most successful song of this period "Hey Nineteen", peaked at No. 10 on the pop chart in early 1981. But drugs and personal turmoil had taken their toll and Steely Dan split up in the summer of 1981. Walter Becker and Donald Fagen reunited in the early ‘90s. Their 2000 album Two Against Nature won four Grammy Awards. In March 2001, the original members reunited on stage for the first time in decades when Steely Dan was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 2006 Steely Dan embarked on a tour paired with former collaborator Michael McDonald and his band.

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