Walter Becker checks the lighting before performing with Steely Dan, San Diego, 2013
Photo by John Gastaldo
Walter Becker, a member of Steely Dan, was born 71 years ago today.
A musician, songwriter and record producer, Becker was the co-founder, guitarist, bassist and co-songwriter in Steely Dan. He met his future songwriting partner, Donald Fagen, while studying at Bard College.
After a brief period of activity in New York, the two relocated to California in 1971 and formed the nucleus of Steely Dan, who enjoyed a critically and commercially successful ten-year career. Following the group's disbanding, Becker relocated to Hawaii and reduced his musical activity, working primarily as a record producer.
Becker and Fagen reformed Steely Dan in 1993 and remained active until the end of Becker’s life. Notable was their 2000 album, Two Against Nature.
Becker also released two solo albums, 1994's, 11 Tracks of Whack, and 2008's, Circus Money.
Born in Queens, New York City, Becker grew up in Westchester County and Forest Hills, Queens. He graduated from Stuyvesant High School in Manhattan in the class of 1967. After starting out on saxophone, he switched to guitar and received instruction in blues technique from neighbor, Randy Wolfe.
While at Bard, Becker and Fagen formed and played in a number of groups, including The Leather Canary, which also included their fellow student, Chevy Chase, on drums. At the time, Chase called the group "a bad jazz band."
Becker left the school in 1969 prior to completing his degree and moved with Fagen to Brooklyn, where the two began to build a career as a songwriting duo.
This period included a stint with Jay and the Americans under pseudonyms and the composition of the soundtrack to You've Got to Walk It Like You Talk It or You'll Lose That Beat, a Richard Pryor film released in 1971.
Later in 1971, the duo moved to California and formed Steely Dan. Their initial lineup included guitarists Denny Dias, Jeff "Skunk" Baxter and drummer Jim Hodder, all of whom the two had met prior to their relocation.
With Becker acting initially as bassist, the group spent the following three years touring and recording before becoming a studio-centered project anchored around Becker and Fagen's songwriting in 1974.
In addition to co-writing all of the band's material, Becker played bass and/or guitar on many of the band's tracks, as well as providing occasional backing vocals and arrangements. Despite the group's success, particularly surrounding Aja in 1977, Becker suffered from numerous personal setbacks during this period, including addiction to drugs.
After the duo returned to New York in 1978, Becker's girlfriend, Karen Stanley, died of a drug overdose, resulting in a large wrongful death suit volleyed against him. Not long after, Becker was hit by a Manhattan taxi while crossing the street and forced to walk with crutches.
His personal exhaustion was exacerbated by commercial pressures and the complicated recording process surrounding the final release of Steely Dan's Gaucho in 1980. This led to the duo suspending their partnership in June, 1981.
Following Steely Dan's breakup, Becker moved to the Hawaiian island of Maui and ceased using drugs. Shortly thereafter, he began a career as a record producer, overseeing records by Rickie Lee Jones, Michael Franks, and Fra Lippo Lippi, including the latter's 1987 Norwegian single, "Angel."
Their partnership resumed in 1993 when they undertook a new tour as Steely Dan, their first in 19 years. Becker also produced Fagen's album, Kamakiriad, in 1993. In turn, Fagen co-produced Becker's belated solo debut album, 11 Tracks of Whack, in 1994.
Steely Dan continued touring, and their work on new material resulted in their first studio album in two decades, Two Against Nature, released in 2000. Becker’s second solo album, Circus Money, was released on June 10, 2008, fourteen years after its predecessor.
The album prominently featured Becker's bass playing, performances by much of the Steely Dan backing band, and work by producer Larry Klein, who received co-composition credits on all but one song. The songs were heavily inspired by reggae and other Jamaican music.
On September 3, 2017, Becker died of esophageal cancer at his home in New York City.