Did You Know...

The distinctive work of Steely Dan was the inspired creation of two fine songwriters, Walter Becker and Donald Fagen, who met in the early 1970s while in college in New York state. Both first-rate musicians with a lively interest in contemporary verse, Becker and Fagen drew on their knowledge of Bob Dylan, Lou Reed, Randy Newman, and the Beat Poets of the 1950s, and blended it with jazz, funk, rhythm and blues, and pop to make a gentle yet powerful sound all their own. With irony and humor, edgy--subversive?--lyrics, a willingness to engage in avant garde experimentation, and a passion for technical perfection, Steely Dan articulated modern concerns about sex, drugs, aging, loneliness, middle-class angst, poverty, and ennui--and spoke to a generation of fans. (With typical iconoclasm, they took their unusual name from a steam-powered dildo in William Burrough's novel The Naked Lunch.)

In the course of their unusually long career--which includes no fewer that seven platinum albums--Steely Dan has gone through some rough patches in the form of copyright lawsuits, drug scandals, artistic differences, back-up band changes, and even serious injuries in a car accident. But their unmistakable contribution to modern popular song was officially acknowledged in 2001, when Steely Dan was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

In recent performances the duo teamed up with a long-time associate, soulful vocalist Michael McDonald, and the ten-piece Steelyard "Sugartooth" McDan Band for a series of concerts that critics and audiences alike called fantastic! For a wonderful live music experience, get Steely Dan tickets!