Walter Becker, co-founder of the jazz-influenced rock group Steely Dan, has died at his home in Maui, Hawaii at the age of 67. No cause of death has been reported. He recently had suffered an unspecified illness which caused him to miss the band's recent shows.
Walter Carl Becker was born in the New York borough of Queens, but graduated from a high school in Manhattan. He met his longtime partner, keyboardist-singer Donald Fagen, when both were students at Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, NY. The two formed Steely Dan along with guitarists Denny Diaz and Jeff "Skunk" Baxter (who later joined the Doobie Brothers), drummer Jim Hodder, and singer David Palmer, who stayed only for their first album Can't Buy A Thrill. Eventually Fagen and Becker would become the group's only official members, employing numerous other musicians in the studio and on stage. Initially the group's bassist, Becker would play both guitar and bass on their records. Steely Dan broke up in 1981, but reunited in 1993. Besides his work in Steely Dan, Becker recorded two solo albums, 11 Tracks Of Whack, in 1994, and Circus Money, in 2008.
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From 11 Tracks Of Whack, this is Hat Too Flat.
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