After starting out on saxophone, he switched to guitar and received instruction in blues technique from neighbor Randy California, who later formed the band Spirit. They divorced in 1997. In the weeks prior to Beckers death, he missed Steely Dans Classic East and West concerts due to an unspecified ailment. Becker met future songwriting partner Donald Fagen while they were students at Bard College. Becker released two solo albums, 11 Tracks of Whack (1994) and Circus Money (2008). Becker wrote the song "Little Kawai" for his son, and it became the final song on the album 11 Tracks of Whack. Two months after Steely Dan guitarist and co-founder Walter Becker's death at 67, on Wednesday his widow Delia Becker released an emotional statement discussing her late husband's healt In a statement released to the media the day of Beckers death, Fagen recalled his long-time friend and musical partner as smart as a whip, an excellent guitarist and a great songwriter, and closed by stating that he intended to keep the music we created together alive as long as I can with the Steely Dan band.. In a long homage published in Rolling Stone,. However, Steely Dans huge success proved difficult to handle for Becker, who became addicted to drugs, endured a series of crises and withdrew from the band to regain his sanity. Inkeeping with his wishes, he was cremated without ceremony or memorial in New York City. He was 67 years old. Walter Becker, Steely Dan Guitarist and Co-Founder, Dies at 67 09/03/2017 The Grammy-winning band split up in 1981 but reformed in the 1990s, releasing a handful of successful albums. He was best known as the co-founder, guitarist, bassist, and co-songwriter of the jazz rock band Steely Dan. Steely Dan broke up and Becker retired to a farm in Hawaii, where eventually he built a recording studio of his own. [6] His exhaustion was made worse by commercial pressure and the complicated recording of the album Gaucho (1980). Health issues began to interfere with the music some report he was suffering from Hepatitis C. The final illness arose suddenly. He graduated from Stuyvesant High School in Manhattan in 1967. He died on September 3, 2017 in Maui, Hawaii, USA. Walter Becker's adopted daughter Sayan has written a loving tribute to her father, the co-founder of Steely Dan, who passed away on Sunday, aged 67. Thank you, everyone, for helping me and his loved ones know that Walters mark on the world and on all of you will not soon fade.. Leave a sympathy message to the family on the . For 1975's "Katy Lied," for instance, the act underwent significant lineup shifts and the work was the first to high-light Michael McDonald, who would later go on to fame with the Doobie Brothers, as a vocalist on a Steely Dan album. We play rock & roll, but we swing when we play. I am just beginning to emerge from its heartbreaking impact. At the time of his passing on Sept. 3 no details were released about Beckers cause of death. Walter entered the career as musician, songwriter, and record producer In his early life after completing his formal education.. Walter passed peacefully in our New York City home, surrounded by his family, his music, and a blustery rainstorm one of his favorite sounds blowing outside the window. Thank you, everyone, for helping me and his loved ones know that Walters mark on the world and on all of you will not soon fade.. As Walter Beckers wife of many years, I wanted to share with his fans some information regarding his death that has not previously been reported. [28] A year later, Fagen co-produced Becker's debut album 11 Tracks of Whack.[29]. Following the groups dissolution, Becker moved to Hawaii and reduced his musical activity, working primarily as a record producer. He was cynical about human nature, including his own, and hysterically funny. Understandably, Walter wanted privacy during the course of his illness and he hoped for recovery. embarked on their first tour since the death of Becker, All the action from Coachella 2023 weekend one in dazzling photos, Solar and Moonbyul on the creation of MAMAMOO+: It was a road we had to achieve at some point, Evil Dead Rise: inside the years scariest horror film, Triviums Matt Heafy talks loving Call Of Duty and Final Fantasy in Playback, Nicholas Hoult: Skins captured that moment Euphoria captures it now. Becker wrote the song "Little Kawai" for his son, and it became the final song on the album 11 Tracks of Whack . Their first LP,Can't Buy a Thrill, was released in 1972 featuring hitsReelin in the Years, Dirty Work and Do It Again. He attended Bard College, where he met his future partner Donald Fagen while playing a gig at a local club. They lived on a cattle ranch equipped with a recording studio, where Becker launched a second career as a producer. Walter chose an intense regimen of chemotherapy at Sloan Kettering though, between the cancers aggressiveness and the overwhelming toxicity resulting from the chemotherapy treatments, Walter died less than four months after the cancer was detected., Delia Becker said her husband died peacefully at their home in New York City, surrounded by his family, his music, and a blustery rainstorm one of his favorite sounds blowing outside the window. 22:55 BST 16 Nov 2017. Even his Number 1 Fan me would not have predicted anything close to the depth and breadth of public expressions from those whose lives were enriched by Walter by his talent, his kindness, and his skill at inspiring some wicked fun. Understandably, Walter wanted privacy during the course of his illness and he hoped for recovery. Walter Becker 's widow, Delia Becker, has released a personal statement regarding the Steely Dan co-founder's death in September. Juanna's name doesn't appear on websites devoted to the '70s rock icons. ', Delia Becker said that her husband sought privacy during his treatment and that it was important for his fans to know that 'he never intended to keep anyone in the dark about his condition.'. For years . Becker was one of the most accomplished guitar and bass players of his generation, co-writing songs on Aja such as Peg, Josie and Deacon Blues, the last of which inspired the title of the Scottish band Deacon Blue in the following decade. "Walter Becker was not only an icon in the world of music but he had one of the largest, most diverse collections of. [42][5], Becker was also married to Delia Cioffi and Juanna Fatouros. "Once I met (session musician) Chuck Rainey", he explained, "I felt there really was no need for me to be bringing my bass guitar to the studio anymore". How do the British royal family make their money? In 2003, they released the album Everything Must Go with Becker singing lead vocal on Slang of Ages. Thank you, everyone, for helping me and his loved ones know that Walters mark on the world and on all of you will not soon fade. His second solo album, Circus Money, was released on June 10, 2008, fourteen years after its predecessor. American musician, songwriter, and record producer, For other people named Walter Becker, see. Although Becker- who was suffering from drug addiction - settled out of court, the lawsuit rattled him,Rolling Stone reported. You can scroll down for information about his Social media profiles. Fagan also previously demonstrated the dedication he has to Steely Dan fans in the touching statement he wrote about his departed bandmate, saying, I intend to keep the music we created together alive as long as I can with the Steely Dan band. He made good on that promise, and recently finished up a tour in October. It sounded like, you know, like a black person, really. The 200 Greatest Singers of All Time However, in a letter to Steely Dan's fans, Becker's widow Delia . Initially, the band was made up of Becker on bass and singer Fagen, alongside singer David Palmer,guitarists Jeff 'Skunk' Baxter and Denny Dias and drummer Jim Hodder. In 2000 they released Two Against Nature, their first album of new material in twenty years. By Walter died in the course of being treated for an extremely aggressive form of esophageal cancer. Writing his obituary, the Associated Press reported that Steely Dan's Walter Becker "had the gift of relative anonymity in a field where celebrity can do incalculable damage." Becker released two solo albums 11 Tracks of Whack (1994) and Circus Money (2008). [17], Following Steely Dan's breakup, Becker and his family moved to Maui. Walter chose an intense regimen of chemotherapy at Sloan Kettering though, between the cancers aggressiveness and the overwhelming toxicity resulting from the chemotherapy treatments, Walter died less than four months after the cancer was detected. Steely. Walter died in the course of being treated for an extremely aggressive form of esophageal cancer. The album won four Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year. Becker was suffering from "an extremely aggressive form of esophageal cancer". Musicians such as Julian Lennon, Steve Lukather, and John Darnielle of the Mountain Goats made public statements mourning Beckers death. . They were members of the touring band for Jay and the Americans but used pseudonyms. He has a pure loving kind heart personality. "[8] They formed the band Leather Canary, which included fellow student Chevy Chase on drums. I am just beginning to emerge from its heartbreaking impact.. [from a 1974 interview with Rolling Stone magazine], New and Upcoming Science Fiction and Fantasy, (September 29, 1975 - April 12, 1978) (divorced), View agent, publicist, legal and company contact details on IMDbPro. Friends and collaborators of the late Walter Becker discuss how his troubled life and musical genius fed into the dark sophistication of Steely Dan. Becker produced Rickie Lee Joness album Flying Cowboys and played bass on the main title track co-written by Pascal Nabet Meyer, which was certified Gold by the RIAA in 1997. [31] They followed the album with a tour. That was the problem we had a lot of the time back then." Quitting Bard in 1969 without gaining a degree, Becker moved with Fagen to New York, where they attempted to find employment as musicians. That year saw a shake-up for the band, asDias, Baxter and Hodder all quit - over Becker and Fagen's refusal to tour, according to Becker. Michael McDonald, later (and more famously) of The Doobie Brothers, was working with Steely Dan in the mid-1970s, as keyboardist and vocalist. Luckily, he was smart as a whip, an excellent guitarist and a great songwriter. Steely Dan, named after a William Burroughs term for a marital aid in his book "Naked Lunch," was formed in the early '70s, years after Becker and Fagen met at Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, N.Y. . In a statement, Becker's widow, Delia, explained that Becker's death came "in the course of being treated for an extremely aggressive form of esophageal cancer," says Vanity Fair. For me personally, his death was a devastating blow, as I know it was for many of you. The song broadcast Steely Dan's love of jazz, as it pulled its riff from pianist Horace Silver's light-stepping, Brazilian-tinged staple "Song for My Father." From that, and from the Harvard Dictionary of Music, I learned everything I wanted to know. In 1991, Becker appeared in Fagens New York Rock and Soul Revue. He was a composer and producer, known for R.I.P.D. In addition to co-writing all of the bands material, Becker played guitar and bass guitar and sang background vocals. Steely Dan co-founder Walter Becker died on September 3rd due to complications from treatment for advanced stages of esophageal cancer, his widow revealed on Thursday. "Fagen," wrote former Times music writer Richard Cromelin, "always seemed the more human half of Steely Dan - his sarcasm was downright benign next to Walter Becker, a baby-faced sadist who delighted in turning interviews into whimpering wrecks." On the title track for this 1974 . They also composed music for the soundtrack to Youve Got to Walk It Like You Talk It or Youll Lose That Beat, a film starring Richard Pryor that was released in 1971. A short while later, he was mowed down while crossing the street in New York, shattering his leg. Becker and Fagen began collaborating as students at New York's Bard College, writing hits for other artists, including Barbra Streisand's 'I Mean to Shine', before the pair moved to California in the early Seventies to form Steely Dan - named after a sex toy in cult classic Naked Lunch, written by William S. Burroughs. The album won four Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year. He started out playing saxophone, and took up guitar in his teens. It originally said that Walter Becker. 'When the bottom fell out of the record business a bunch of years ago, it deprived me of the luxury of earning a living from records. The car and I were attempting to occupy the same place at the same time. Compelled to use a wheelchair for the completion of Steely Dans album Gaucho (1980), their seventh and the last released in their first decade, Becker was also struggling with drug addiction. Becker was born in Queens, New York City. The songs were inspired by reggae and other styles of Jamaican music. He also produced albums for Michael Franks and John Beasley. If youve ever known anyone thats chronically depressed like that, its hard to appreciate whats going on: youre looking straight at it and you still dont get it, because youve never gone through that., A month after Stanleys death, Becker was seriously injured when a taxi drove into him in Central Park. We were quantum criminals, he joked of the accident, in which his right leg was fractured in several places. The troubles began in the late 1970s, when Becker's girlfriend, Karen Roberta Stanley, died of a drug overdose in his apartment on January 30, 1978, resulting in a $17million wrongful death lawsuit against him. 'Walter passed peacefully in our New York City home, surrounded by his family, his music, and a blustery rainstorm - one of his favorite sounds - blowing outside the window. It was with this 'enlarged band' concept, they released their best selling album Aja in 1977,their first platinum album which sold more than five million copies worldwide. [39] The term was later adapted as Gear Acquisition Syndrome in online forums and music magazines. [13][14][15] Steely Dan spent the next three years touring and recording before swearing off touring in 1974, confining themselves to the studio with personnel that changed for every album. Its important to me, as it was to Walter, that you all know he never intended to keep anyone in the dark about his condition. Want to know what everyone in the music business is talking about. In keeping with his wishes, he was cremated without ceremony or memorial in New York City. For me personally, his death was a devastating blow, as I know it was for many of you. Rolling Stone called Becker "a behind-the-scenes maestro," moving to Los Angeles with Fagen in 1971 to work as staff writers for ABC Records. Fagen paid tribute to his bandmate as 'an excellent guitarist and a great songwriter.'. It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Walter J. Becker of Iron Ridge, Wisconsin, who passed away on February 26, 2023, at the age of 65, leaving to mourn family and friends. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. But after their huge success, the band and Becker in particular suffered set back after set back, until they decided to part ways for twenty years. Donald Fagen is suing the estate of Steely Dan co-founder Walter Becker over what he claims is an unlawful attempt to wrest control of the group in the wake of . Against nature, including album of New material in twenty years Becker singing vocal! They were members of the touring band for Jay and the complicated recording of Year! Whack. [ 29 ] about human nature, their first album of the band. Co-Songwriter of the time back then. he met his future partner Donald Fagen playing. 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