Jeff “Skunk” Baxter Recalls Studio Sessions With Steely Dan and The Doobie Brothers
Legendary studio guitarist Jeff “Skunk” Baxter has detailed the unusual mechanics behind some of his most memorable recordings, offering a rare look into the professional sessions that defined classic rock in the 1970s. According to an interview with Guitar Player, Baxter’s extensive career includes laying down definitive guitar tracks for artists ranging from Steely Dan and the Doobie Brothers to Donna Summer.
Approaching Studio Work and Guitar Solos
Baxter divides his extensive career into two distinct approaches to playing the instrument. The first is what he terms the “professional studio sausage method,” where musicians enter the studio to grind out tracks efficiently. The second involves working closely with artists who embrace his specific style. While known for playing laid-back rhythm guitar parts associated with Los Angeles studio production, Baxter’s primary draw for bandleaders was his distinct approach to solos.
“The other level is when you really want to play and you’re with people who accept and like what you do,” Baxter told Guitar Player. “My specialty, if you could call it that, is guitar solos, obviously, even though I sit back and do the I-have-a-swimming-pool rhythm guitar sound.”
Recording Jazz Covers With Steely Dan
During his time with Steely Dan, founders Walter Becker and Donald Fagen relied on Baxter to execute precise and unconventional musical concepts. One of the most unusual sessions involved recording an instrumental cover of Duke Ellington’s 1927 jazz composition “East St. Louis Toodle-Oo” for the 1974 album Pretzel Logic.
Rather than playing a standard electric guitar part, Baxter chose to adapt a trombone solo for pedal steel guitar to mimic the sliding notes of a brass instrument. “I had the idea to try it on pedal steel. Why the hell not?” Baxter explained to Vulture. “I worked on it for a good amount of time, and it was fun getting through that tunnel from one end to the other and playing that beautiful solo.”
Unconventional Inspiration on Pop and Rock Sessions
Baxter’s studio work frequently pushed into unpredictable territory, including his contributions to Donna Summer’s backup band, Brooklyn Dreams, for the album Joy Ride. Using a Burns Bison electric guitar that he purchased for $20, Baxter delivered a solo that he described as resembling a form of glossolalia. Following the take, engineer Juergen Koppers reportedly asked, “Was ist das?” to which Baxter replied, “I don’t know. You better play it back.”
The guitarist’s career highlights the shifting landscape of 1970s studio production, where genre boundaries between jazz, pop, and rock frequently blurred through the ingenuity of session musicians.
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