Jeff “Skunk” Baxter may be best known for his stints in Steely Dan, The Doobie Brothers, and Spirit, but the versatile guitarist also lent his electric guitar chops to the who’s who of the music industry – including Dolly Parton, Donna Summer, Eric Clapton, Ringo Starr, Gene Simmons... the list goes on.
It’s safe to say these varying gigs required him to develop a (to put it mildly) well-rounded playing style – and one that would result in him landing a tour with James Brown back in 1986.
“As far as those guitar parts were concerned, I already knew them because I’d learned to play that kind of music,” Baxter replies when asked in a new interview with Guitar World whether he found Brown’s funky guitar parts challenging.
“Being such a fan of it, I kind of studied it. I think it happened because I was going to a gig with Bobby and the Midnites, and I’d just produced an album for Bob [Weir] and was touring.
“So, James Brown was on the bill, and his guitar player got caught in a snowstorm and couldn't get down for the gig. So, they were looking for somebody, and I said, ‘I know all that stuff,’ and that’s how it started. I put on a nice suit, and it was away we go.”
Seeing the incredible repertoire (and collaborators) he’s accumulated over the decades, what would a guitarist – and session player – as prolific as Baxter say is his key to success?
“The secret to my success… that’s an interesting concept,” he ponders. “I certainly would say a lot of it is application and perseverance. The bottom line is, I think, exposing yourself to as many different musical influences as possible.
“The more eclectic you can make your playing, the more opportunities it gives you to accomplish whatever it is that someone wants you to accomplish, just as a player, which gives you more color and facets.”
In more Jeff “Skunk” Baxter news, the six-stringer recently reflected on that one session with Steely Dan producer Gary Katz where he lugged a ton of gear to the studio, and ended up not using any.
Guitar World's full interview with Skunk will be published in the coming weeks.
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